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Texting and driving? You’re hardly alone – Metro US

Texting and driving? You’re hardly alone

Using a cell phone while driving is one the most dangerous habits out there, but that hasn’t stopped more than half of motorists under the age of 30 from doing it.

A poll released by the U.S. Department of Transportation and Consumer Reports found that 63 percent of drivers under 30 admitted to driving while talking on a handheld cell phone, and 30 percent said they’ve sent text messages from behind the wheel.

The study is particularly worrisome for Long Island police; texting and driving is responsible for 20 percent of car accidents statewide.

“Texting and talking on cell phones is a huge problem in Long Island,” Detective Sgt. Kevin Smith told Metro. “It causes a lot of accidents and near-misses, and a great many people engage in it.”

New York state is also cracking down: Last month the state Department of Motor Vehicles began imposing a two-point penalty for drivers caught using a cell phone. Before mid-February, drivers were ticketed, but no points were assigned.

In 2001, New York became the first state in the nation to adopt a statewide ban on handheld cell phone use while driving.

Not just for kids

It’s not just the young who chat and drive: 41 percent of drivers over the age of 30 admitted to talking on a handheld device while driving, and 9 percent said they text while driving.