Going by the findings of a study the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, nearly 50 percent of cellphone-owning US teenagers, between 16 and 17 years, admit that they have talked on the phone while driving, with one-third of them saying that they have texted while behind the wheel.

Incidentally, the number of boys and girls who have reportedly texted messages while driving a vehicle is almost the same. Most of them have also admitted that their parents too are texting aficionados.

The findings of the Pew study are disquieting, given the fact that, as per the last-year statistics forwarded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the distracted-driving casualty rate is the highest among drivers below 20 years of age.

Further, Pew’s senior specialist, Amanda Lenhart pointed to studies which reveal that, of all the dangers of inattention and distraction when driving, cellphone conversation and texting top the list – with talking on the cellphone being even more distracting than talking to a fellow passenger in a car.

Commenting on the increasing number of texting-enthusiast teenagers, Fairfax County police Capt. Susan Culin, commander of the traffic division, said: “The percentages of drivers who report texting while driving is extremely disturbing, given the severe safety hazards this behavior causes. However, the percentage of teen drivers that report texting while driving is even more frightening, due to their inexperience.”