Common Paradox Tech Blog

The Pew Internet & American Life Project has just published the results of a study on distracted driving behavior amongst teenagers which shows that teens are aware of the dangers of texting while driving, but they choose to do it anyway.

After surveying 800 teens in 4 US cities over the summer of 2009, Pew estimates that 26% of all American teens 16-17 have texted while driving, and 43% have talked on a cell phone while driving.

Even more alarming is that 48% of teens 12-17 have witnessed someone else texting while driving, which points to an ambivalence and acceptance of the practice. The findings also indicate that even state laws prohibiting these activities may not be discouraging newly licensed drivers from using their mobile devices while behind the wheel.

Amanda Lenhart, co-author of the report, claims that teens are well aware of the risks associated with texting while driving, “but the desire to stay connected is so strong for teens and their parents that safety sometimes takes a backseat to staying in touch with friends and family.”

The research is also indicative of the fact that children might be picking up the dangerous behaviors from their parents. The report states that, “the frequency of teens reporting parent cell phone use behind the wheel in our focus groups was striking, and suggested that, in many cases, texting while driving is a family affair.”

In a qualitative interview one teen boy even said, “Yeah [my dad] drives like he’s drunk. His phone is just like sitting in front of his face, and he puts his knees on the bottom of the steering wheel and tries to text.”

We’ve included the full research report below, but here are a few additional findings that stand out:

- 75% of all American teens 12-17 own a cell phone

- 82% of teens 16-17 have a cell phone & 76% text.

- Overall, 34% of teens 16-17 say they have texted while driving, which translates to 26% of all American teens 16-17.

- Boys and girls are equally likely to report texting behind the wheel.

- 55% of teens 14-17 report that they have witnessed a driver texting as a passenger (48% for 12-17, and 32% for 12-13).

If this research highlights anything it’s that teens are uber-connected, picking up bad behaviors from their parents, and unabashedly driving dangerously in order to stay connected.

Image from lierne on Flickr

Reviews: Flickr

Tags: Pew Internet, teens, texting, trending

CWmike writes “A two-day Distracted Driving Summit in Washington concluded Thursday, after experts raised multiple thorny questions on how to reduce cell phone and texting while driving, with a big emphasis placed on driver and employer responsibility. But that was not before President Obama signed an executive order that tells all federal employees not to engage in texting while driving government vehicles. [US Transportation Secretary Ray] LaHood also announced that his department would ban text messaging altogether and restrict cell phone use by truck and interstate bus drivers, and disqualify school bus drivers from receiving commercial driver’s licenses if they have been convicted of texting while driving. His department also plans to make permanent some restrictions placed on the use of cell phones in rail operations, he added without offering further details. The executive order ’shows the federal government is leading by example’ and ’sends a signal that distracted driving is dangerous,’ LaHood said.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

If you’re the paranoid type, these new charts from The Environmental Working Group may be just what you’ve been looking for. They rate cell phones based on how much radiation they put out when placed to the ear. Cell phones emit radio-frequency radiation whenever you are using voice or data. This radiation is non-ionizing, but some groups claim there is a connection between cell phone use and cancer.

Among all phones the Samsumg Impression from AT&T had the lowest radiation output. It was closely followed by the Moto RAZR V8 for CellularOne. The Motorola MOTO VU204 and T-Mobile myTouch 3G both had the highest radiation levels. In the smartphone field, the Nokia 9300i had the lowest levels, and the Kyocera Jax S1300 was tied with the myTouch 3G for the highest.

If you don’t go in for the cell phone/cancer theory, the list may still be of some use. Just switch the ‘best’ and ‘worst’ labels, and consider the charts a measure of relative signal strength. Even if you are somehow giving yourself cancer, you’ll have really great signal while doing it. So,does cell phone radiation concern you?