LOS ANGELES — Teenagers aren't the only people texting and driving. A new study reveals millennial parents are also taking risks behind the wheel.
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital surveyed 435 parents across the country, asking them if they use e-mail, social media, and maps while driving. they also asked about their speed while completing the tasks.
Dr. Regan Bergmark, a surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital, said text messaging and other forms of distracted driving were more common among millennial parents than older parents.
Other drivers agree, including Aaron Belcher.
“Millennials are always having to be so up to date on everything that's happening around them in their lives,” Belcher said.
The study also found that most parents, regardless of age, admitted to reading and writing texts while driving.
“People know it's unsafe, but they've gotten away with it, so they do it, right?” Bergmark said. “But we haven't found a way to address that.”
More than half of those surveyed said they are safer drivers while their children are in the car, while two-out-of-three parents said they use their phones less when their kids are with them.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's latest statistics reveal nine people are killed every day in accidents involving a distracted driver. The study is published in today's JAMA Pediatrics.