Everybody knows that you shouldn’t text and drive. Unfortunately a lot of people, especially teens, still do it. Teen texting while driving is consistently on the rise. They’re under the impression that a quick text while driving wouldn’t hurt. Well that’s usually what the victims had in mind when they texted while driving. The statistics below will show you what happened to them.

Why Texting while Driving is Bad

Driving requires your 100% attention. You’re operating a motor vehicle and basically your whole body is being used. In addition, there are outside factors that you have to be aware of. If you’re texting while driving, you’re diverting your focus from the road to your phone. That can lead to accidents harmful to you and the people/things around you.

Teen Texting Statistics

These are statistics that you have to know in order to realize that teenage texting is really on the rise:

• The common teen texter sends an average of 3,339 text messages a month. This is according to a study done by Nielsen. This means that the average teenager sends 6 texts per hour as soon as he or she wakes up.

• Females dominate this statistic. On average, a female teenager sends 4,050 text messages a month.

• Males send fewer texts. An average male sends 2,539 text messages a month. However, this is still an eye-popping teen texting statistic.

Generally speaking, sending 3,339 text messages a month isn’t deadly, unless you’re going to include driving into the equation. Unfortunately, a lot of these text messages are sent while the teen is driving. That makes it deadly.

Teen Driving Statistics

Here are a few teen driving statistics that when included into the equation of teen texting statistics, will show that something needs to be done:

• According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there are 11 teen deaths occurring every day because of texting while driving.

• Almost 25% of all accidents were caused by the driver texting while driving.

• According to the National Safety Council, this unsafe practice causes 1,600,000 accidents a year.

• In a study done among teen drivers, they said that the number one distraction while driving is texting.

• According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Admin, it will be like driving after having 4 beers if you’re going to text and drive. With a lot of teens drinking and driving as well, you know how eye-popping this teen texting statistic is.

• A group of 16 year old drivers has higher crash rates than drivers of any other age group.

A Huge Percentage of Teen Deaths happened because of a Car Crash

Did you know that among the deaths in teenagers (13 to 19 years old), 33% of them were caused by a car crash? This percentage was taken from 2010 and is steadily on the rise.
To begin with, that percentage is not very teen-friendly. It’s safe to say that the percentage is working against teens. Add teen texting to the formula and you can be sure that the risk is doubled. In fact, it’s not just doubled. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Admin, you’re 23 times more likely to crash if you’re texting while driving.

Why is this so?

• If you’re doing this unsafe practice, it will be like driving with your eyes closed for 5 seconds at a time.

• Your reaction speed to hitting the brakes when needed is slower by 18%.

• If you’re texting while driving, you’re 6 times more likely to cause an accident as compared to when driving intoxicated.

It can Cause Property Damage

Teens texting while driving are not just putting life and limb at risk with this unsafe practice. This practice can also cause property damage. The out of focus driver can hit other cars, infrastructures, or even houses. Of course, damage can also be caused to the driver’s vehicle. While that’s the least of the driver’s concern, especially if he or she hit another person, body repair can be very expensive.
What to Do

If you’re a teen, it’s time to put a stop to this practice right now. You’ve seen the figures. If you’re a parent, it’s time to educate your teens on the dangers of texting while driving. While it’s pretty hard to stop teen texting, you should at least stop your teens from texting while they’re driving. It’s time to teach them how to be responsible when driving.

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