Georgia Injury Law Blog
Study Reveals Teen Texting While Driving is Dangerously High
A new study that included teens from Atlanta, has revealed some frightening statistics that should cause great concern to Georgia personal injury lawyers. The study included 800 teens between 12 and 17, and 74 more in 9 focus groups in Atlanta, New York, Denver and Ann Arbor. According to the study, about a quarter of teens aged between 16 to 17 years admit to having texted while at the wheel.
However, it’s not that fact – scary as it is – that worries us the most. Almost half of the respondents between 12 and 17 years old in the Pew survey, admitted that they frequently see their parents texting while driving.
The study reveals one thing – parents of teen motorists seem to be shirking their responsibility to teach their children the right driving behaviors, and set an example for them.According to surveyors, while some of the teenagers admitted to feeling nervous and unsafe when their parents texted while driving, other teens confirmed our worst fears – they believed that texting while driving was not really a big issue.
The study focuses on two safety issues that we as Atlanta auto accident lawyers have been seriously concerned about – texting while driving, and teen motorist safety. The texting-while-driving menace has been traced to a fatal train crash in California last year, as well as a serious trolley accident in Boston this year. It also injures thousands of motorists, passengers, pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists every year.
The second issue, teen motorist safety, is one that we as attorneys and parents, take very seriously. Parents must step up to do their duty in raising responsible teen motorists.Raising the next generation of smart, informed and safe motorists in Georgia will require not only the efforts of law enforcement, state and country agencies and communities, but also parents.