Nearly One-Third of Young Drivers Text While Driving

Nearly half of U.S. drivers aged 16-21 agree that texting or using smart-phone apps, e-mail or social media while driving is very dangerous, according to a survey by Consumer Reports.

Yet 29% of those drivers admit to texting while behind the wheel during the previous month, the magazine says.

Almost two-thirds of drivers in that age group say making a call on a handheld phone is hazardous, but 47% say they had done it during the previous 30 days.

CR notes that some parents aren't setting a good example. Nearly half those surveyed say they have seen their mother or father talking on a handheld phone while driving, and 15% reported parental texting behind the wheel.

Younger drivers say they are less likely to engage in such behaviors when they have friends as passengers, in part because of peer pressure. Almost half say they had asked a driver to stop using a handheld phone.

Young drivers say they avoid distracted-driving behaviors because of the danger (61%). They also cite laws banning texting or phoning while driving (40%), family pressure (28%) and knowing a person who was in a crash caused by distracted driving (20%).

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says 3,100 people were killed in 2010 in crashes that involved distracted driving, or 9% of all highway deaths. The agency says that drivers aged 18-20 had the highest rate of crashes or near-crashes related to phone use.