A recent study completed by Progressive Insurance shows that one-third of drivers on the road today are confident in their ability to text and drive, even though many of those same people still agree that distracted driving is a major cause of vehicle accidents. In fact, more than 90% of people who participated in the study said that they had felt that distracted driving should be illegal. The biggest difference for the study respondents had to do with older and younger drivers. Sadly, however, there is no way to be “good” at distracted driving.

More than 60% of people between the ages of 18 and 34 responded that they were confident in their ability to safely text while operating a vehicle, although just 6% of individuals older than age of 55 gave the same answer. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration captures and shares data related to distracted driving accidents. Distracted driving has been the focus of a great deal of legislation and awareness campaigns in recent years because in 2015 more than 391,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes and close to 3,500 were killed.

Up to 64% of the survey respondents had said that they felt that looking at a phone or texting was the most common cause of accidents, even though these same people had confidence in their texting and driving abilities.  Far too many participants in the survey reported they were good at distracted driving, although they recognized the behavior as inherently dangerous. Nearly 1,000 individuals over age 18 participated in the Progressive Insurance study. If you or someone you know has already been injured in a serious accident involving distracted driving, you may have grounds to pursue a legal claim.