SAVE YOUR TEEN BY TALKING TODAY

Can you guess the number 1 reason for death among teens? Drugs? Alcohol? Smoking? fast driving? sports?

NOPE.

It is TEXTING AND DRIVING

STUDY

Nearly 43 percent of high school students of driving age who were surveyed in 2011 reported texting while driving at least once in the past 30 days, according to a study to be presented Saturday, May 4, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers, and using a phone while driving significantly increases the risk of accidents in this age group. The specific act of texting while driving has been found to raise the risk of a crash by 23 times, leading many to conclude that texting while driving is more dangerous than driving while intoxicated.

Males were more likely to text while driving than females (46 percent vs. 40 percent), and the prevalence of texting increased with age (52 percent of those over 18 years; 46 percent of 17-year-olds; 33 percent of 16-year-olds; and 26 percent of 15-year-olds).

CORRELATION

Teens who reported texting while driving were more likely to engage in other risky behaviors such as driving under the influence of alcohol, having unprotected sex and using an indoor tanning device.

Researchers also found that state laws banning texting while driving had little effect: 39 percent of teens reported texting in states where it is illegal.

MORE DATA

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?

Talk to you child about “texting while driving” TODAY.

Be Strict. “If you do text while driving, you will lose the prevelidge of driving.”