One in Six Millennials Can’t Help Texting While Driving

Millennials (those born between the early 1980s and early 2000s) are four times as likely as older drivers to text while driving, according to a survey by Encino, Calif.-based market researchers Bovitz Inc.

The poll was conducted for the USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future in Los Angeles. It found 17% of Millennials admit to sending or checking text or e-mail messages "always or often" while driving, compared with 4% for older drivers.

Results found 95% of respondents aged 55 or older agree such behavior is dangerous. Among Millennials, only 81% concur.

The gap is similar among those who never text or e-mail while driving. The survey says 95% of non-texting drivers 55 and older believe the behavior is dangerous compared with 48% in for the younger group.

Researchers describe the results as "unsettling," in large part because younger drivers have been taught safety lessons in driver education more recently than other age groups.

Among all age groups, 87% of survey respondents say that sending or checking texts or e-mails while driving is unsafe. But 18% say they still can't resist it and 8% say they do it always or often.