Texting and Driving: A Teen Problem or Something Else
Heather Lerch, 19, driving home from work on February 23, 2010, was only three miles from her home when she lost control of her vehicle and drove through a guardrail. Heather died instantly (Brackrog).
College teen, Taylor Saur was driving home late from Utah State University to her parent's home in Caldwell, Idaho. While messaging friends on Facebook, going more than 80mph, she slammed into the back of a tanker truck that was only going 15mph. She was killed instantly (Brackrog).
High school senior, Deinerah Logan, 17, crashed into the back of a school bus on her first and last day of being a senior. She died shortly after the crash because of texting and driving (Beno).
The sad stories above are all too common in our media outlets today. Failure to teach teenagers about the risks of texting and driving and to be more responsible behind the wheel will result in more accidents where teenagers lose their lives.
Person using cell phone while driving.
English: A sign that states "No Texting While Driv...
KMSP-TVIn researching these stories more and more media sources are covering stories of teens texting and driving and the consequences. Research shows that 50% of adults admit to texting while driving, while only 43% of teens confess to doing the same thing. According to a recent study by cell phone giant AT&T, 98 % of adults said they know it's unsafe to text and drive but continue to do it anyway. 40% of people who admit to texting say it's a habit not an occasional slip-up (Gross). Not only that, but the problem is getting worse. Just three years ago when AT&T did the same study 6 out of 10 adults said they never texted while driving. It seems our media sources and other outlets should be doing more to convince...