Poll Finds 43 Percent Of Teens Admit To Texting & Driving

SAN FRANCISCO, May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Take out your wireless device and read the last text message you received. Would reading or responding to that text while driving be worth risking a car accident or worse? Chances are, that text message could wait. That's why here in California, AT&T is presenting a virtual simulator tour, a "No Texting and Driving" youth summit, and releasing brand new national poll results that illustrate the severity of texting while driving.

The simulator – also appearing across the country throughout May – is part of AT&T's goal to educate all wireless users, but especially teen drivers, that when it comes to texting and driving, it can and should wait. AT&T's "Texting & Driving . . . It Can Wait" campaign seeks to raise awareness about the severity of the issue and activate all mobile users to be a part of the solution.

"Many people don't realize how big a risk they are taking every time they take their eyes off the road," said Ken McNeely, President of AT&T California. "But the reality is, they are risking not only their own lives, but the lives of others, every time they send or read a text while driving. It is a serious issue that has a simple solution: just don't do it."

Today, AT&T released a survey about the real dangers of texting and driving that demonstrates just how significant this issue is among teenagers.

Key Findings:

• 75 percent of teens say texting while driving is very dangerous – but 43 percent admit to doing so.
• 61 percent of teens say they have seen their friends read or send an email or text while driving.
• 60 percent of teens admit to texting at a red light and 73 percent admit glancing at their phone at a red light.
• 89 percent of teens said a phone app to prevent texting & driving – like AT&T DriveMode™  – would be an effective way to get them or their friends to stop texting and driving. AT&T DriveMode™ provides a customizable auto-reply message notifying friends that the user is driving and will respond when it is safe.

Through this research, it is clear that more needs to be done to spread awareness of the dangers – and helpful tools to prevent the practice and keep our roads safer.

One of the ways AT&T is driving home the anti-texting-and-driving message in California is by bringing a virtual reality simulator to a local television station and several area high schools. This state-of-the-art simulator uses a computerized system to demonstrate what it is like to text and drive – giving drivers a way to learn, in a safe environment, just how dangerous taking your eyes off the road can be.

California Simulator Tour Stops:

• Monday, May 14 – Sacramento, Sacramento Charter High School
• Tuesday, May 15 – San Francisco, Gateway High School
• Wednesday, May 16 – Bakersfield, Bakersfield High School
• Thursday, May 17 – Fresno, Fresno High School
• Friday, May 18 – Los Angeles, CBS/KCAL TV Station
• Monday, May 21 – San Diego, Hilltop High School

Another way the "Texting & Driving . . . It Can Wait" campaign is raising awareness in the Golden State is through a youth summit at Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, California. In conjunction with the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), students from the school will participate in this educational summit. Professional race car driver Andrew Murray, local city officials and California Highway Patrol representatives, will headline the May 19 event to educate teens about the dangers of texting and driving.

Last week, AT&T received National Organizations for Youth Safety's 2012 Youth Choice Award for ongoing efforts and working with teens to address the issue of texting while driving.

For more information on AT&T's "It Can Wait" campaign, please visit: www.att.com/itcanwait.

About AT&T

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SOURCE AT&T