Almost one in five drivers in the U.S. (18 percent) reported texting while driving in the last 30 days, according to a new survey from the Insurance Research Council (IRC). Younger drivers were more likely than older drivers to say that they were texting while driving. Forty-one percent of drivers age 25 to 39, compared with only 5 percent of drivers 55 and older, reported texting while driving. Thirty-one percent of drivers age 16 to 24 said they had texted while driving in the last 30 days.
Driver distraction was involved in 5,474 fatal crashes in 2009, according to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, and in approximately 18 percent of fatal crashes, cell phone use was a factor. Using a cell phone or smart phone to send or read text messages is especially dangerous behavior. One recent study suggests that the risk of a crash or near-crash event was 23 times as great for those texting while driving than for non-distracted drivers.
One response to texting while driving is the use of new products and services designed to block individual cell phones or smart phones from sending or receiving text messages while in a moving vehicle. In this survey, IRC found substantial public support for these products and services. Sixty-two percent of drivers thought that blocking services and products is a good or excellent idea, and 53 percent said they would be somewhat or very likely to use such a product or service if it involved no additional cost. Interest dropped sharply, however, if a blocking product or service involved a $10 monthly cost.