Fresh off the passage of a new Louisiana law banning texting while driving, a study has found adults text behind the wheel more frequently than teenagers.The June study, published by the Pew Research Center, found 47 percent of all adults who use text messaging have texted while driving, compared to the 34 percent of 16- and 17-year-olds who said they texted while driving.The danger of texting while driving has prompted a Louisiana law prohibiting the practice.The law, which will take effect Aug. 15, makes texting while driving a primary offense for which a driver may be stopped by law enforcement. Previous laws had designated texting while driving as a secondary offense for which a driver could only be ticketed if he or she were stopped for another violation.The new law also makes it illegal for drivers aged 17 or younger to talk on a cell phone while driving.Yet in the Pew Center’s survey, more adults said they had talked on the phone while driving than teenagers.Seventy-five percent of cell phone-owning adults said they had talked on the phone while driving, compared to 52 percent of cell-owning teens, according to the study.Sgt. Don Kelly, Baton Rouge Police Department spokesman, said phone use is as common in Baton Rouge as anywhere.”Anybody who spends any time on the road sees cell phone usage is common,” Kelly said. “A lot of time it’s difficult to tell what people are doing, whether they’re reading a message, typing a message, or having a conversation via speakerphone.”Kelly said adults may use phones behind the wheel more often than teens for several reasons, including confidence stemming from years of driving experience.”There is a comfort level that comes from doing something for a while,” Kelly said. “Until you get into a wreck and get hurt, you may think you’re invincible.”Ray Garofalo, mass communication junior, said he does text while driving, but feels his experience has taught him when to stop.”It’s all about experience,” he said. “I’ve been driving for six years, so if I’m texting and I notice I’m veering, I stop and put my phone down.”Biological sciences sophomore Jade Edgecombe said her driving experience has shown her she can’t text behind the wheel.”I’m not coordinated enough to do that,” Edgecombe said. “I’m too spacey.”Adults may also use their phones in the car more often because they use the device for business purposes, Kelly said.”Adults who have jobs, careers and business are using that device for work, and they may be more likely to use that device behind the wheel than someone using it only for social purposes,” Kelly said.Psychology professor Emily Elliott conducted her own study investigating how distracting cell phones can be.”What we showed in our study is that just a ringing phone in and of itself was distracting,” Elliott said.The problem in trying to multitask and use a phone while doing something else comes from the brain’s way of switching focus, she said.”The problem is that human beings have a limited capacity system,” Elliott said. “We cannot simultaneously comprehend two streams of information at once.”Kelly said using cell phones while driving is especially dangerous now when there are more cars on the road travelling at higher speeds than ever.The combination of unexpected behavior by other drivers and distraction caused by phone usage can create a deadly combination within seconds, Kelly said.”It’s when people do something out of the ordinary — that’s when you get into bad accident,” he said. “That’s when sharp drivers who are paying attention have time to avoid those accidents, and those who aren’t paying attention won’t.”
 
 
 
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