Everyone has heard the stories of people getting injured because of texting and driving; especially teens. Some teens have had friends died in car accidents because of texting and driving. When their friends die wouldn’t they stop texting and driving? No, they keep doing it. They don’t think it could happen to them. According to USA Today nearly nine in 10 teenage drivers have engaged in distracted-driving behaviors such as texting or talking on a cellphone; although most of them know that their actions increase their risk of crashing. Teens are the highest age group to be texting while driving. Stats, play a huge roll with teens, why teens do it, and how it affects others.

Daily text-messaging by teens has risen dramatically in the past 18 months, according to a new study, "Teens and Mobile Phones," from the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. Two-thirds of teen texters say they are more likely to use their cell phones to text their friends, than talk to them to them by cell phone. According to AAA, 46% percent of all teenage drivers admit to text messaging while driving, and that says nothing of the teens who won’t own up to the practice. Also from the AAA, 51% admit to talking on the cell phone while driving, though most of us who know teens would probably estimate that figure to be closer to 99%. Which leads to why? Why would teens risk their life just for a simple text message?

Some believe that it is “cool” to text while driving. It shows that you can multi task , force on driving and texting at the same time. At the same time drivers are putting their lives at risk every time they get in a car. One way that teenagers will try to get away with texting while driving is to wear sunglasses so police officers can't tell according to Pew Internet and American Life Project. Teens don’t have impulse control because their brains develop slower. Teenagers brains fully develop in their 20’s. Teenagers are pretty smart, but they do tend leap into action without always thinking things through. Especially when they’re hanging out together. Why don’t teens stop if they know it injures people.

Teenagers have an idea about texting and driving accidents, but most of them don’t think that it could happen to them. Most teens don’t think that a couple seconds off the road is going to hurt, but truth is if you take your eyes off the road for at least five seconds you can travel up to a distance of a football field. Five seconds doesn’t sound like a long time, but in reality it is a long time. Teens also feel the need to not be safe, to take risks in life. That is their way of having fun.
Teens feel power when it comes to driving and also texting. According to USA Today nearly nine in 10 teenage drivers have engaged in distracted-driving behaviors such as texting or talking on a cellphone although most of them know that their actions increase their risk of crashing. Teens are the highest age group to be texting while driving. Some teens had friends died in car accidents because of texting and driving, when their friends die won’t they stop texting and driving? No, they keep doing it because they don’t think it could happen to them. Teens need to realize that texting and driving is bad and that turning your phone off while you drive is not going to kill you. But by having it on, might just do that.