Shocking! Half of adults admit using a cell phone with a child in the car

By now you know that distracted driving is dangerous driving, and in Georgia a new hands-free law went into effect just weeks ago targeting drivers who use their cell phones while in the car; but that's apparently not stopping parents from using their cellphones while driving when their kids are in the car. Researchers from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing surveyed 760 U.S. adults who were a parent or routine caregiver to a child ages four ten, and had driven their oldest child (between those ages) at least six times in the preceding three months. They found in that time frame, 52.2 percent said they had talked on a hands-free phone while driving with a young child in the car, and 47 percent had done so with a hand-held phone. Also, 33.7 percent read text messages, and 26.7 percent sent text messages while driving with children; and 13.7 percent admitted to checking social media in this setting. Lead study author Dr. Catherine McDonald notes, "The results from this research reinforce that risky driving behaviors rarely occur in isolation, and lay the groundwork for interventions and education specifically aimed at parents who drive with young children in their cars."


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