Drivers agree that texting is distracting, but do it anyway

Drivers agree that texting is distracting, but do it anyway

Drivers say that use of a cell phone while driving is distracting, support measures to restrict such use and support harsh penalties for drivers who cause crashes while using a cell phone. But use of a cell phone while driving continues to rise.

More drivers using a phone now use one thatês hands-free, perhaps because more states are cracking down on the use of a hand-held phone while driving and perhaps because they believe (wrongly) that hands-free phones are less distracting. Information is based on the results of a recent survey on distracted driving by State Farm Insurance.

Other findings from the report:

« An overwhelming 94 percent say that sending or reading text messages while driving is distracting, but 36 percent report doing so.

« Ninety percent say itês distracting to program a navigation system while driving, yet more than half of drivers do so. That figure has increased significantly since 2009. Nearly 30 percent use the Internet while driving, although 95 percent say doing so is distracting.