As safety experts continue to raise awareness about the dangers of texting and driving, the trend has grown and expanded to the point that many drivers are doing much more than just sending a text message while behind the wheel.
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Many motorists are also using countless social media apps like Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and now the ever-popular smartphone game Pokémon Go.
Despite 46 states and the District of Columbia that have put into place laws banning texting and driving, the problem of using a cellphone while behind the wheel continues to grow.
According to a recent survey conducted by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), almost 70 percent of the 2,500 teens who participated in the study say they use smartphone apps while driving.
When asked to rank the behaviors they consider to be most dangerous for teen drivers, 29 percent stated that drunk-driving was the most dangerous, followed by 25 percent who said writing or sending a text message was most dangerous. Only six percent believed that looking at or posting to social media was the most dangerous activity a teen can engage in while behind the wheel.
Another survey sponsored by the National Safety Council found that 74 percent of the 2,400 drivers of all ages interviewed said they use Facebook while driving. Another 37 percent admitted to using Twitter, 35 percent to using YouTube, and 33 percent to using Instagram while driving.
Advocates continue to try to raise awareness about the dangers of engaging in these types of behaviors while behind the wheel. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the time it takes to look at your phone to read one text message, you have traveled the length of a football field with your eyes off the road.
Another study by the University of Utah found that sending just one text message while driving increases your risk of being involved in an accident by six times.