Teens admit risky behavior while driving

ERIE, Pa., May 1 (UPI) -- Ninety-one percent of U.S. teen drivers say they are good drivers, but many admit to unsafe driving practices such as text messaging, a survey indicated.

The survey, conducted in spring among 2,127 licensed drivers ages 16-19, revealed teens do a number of risky behaviors while driving including:

-- Seventy-six percent regularly talk on a cell phone while driving.

-- Fifty-seven percent sometimes or often read or send text messages while driving.

-- Ninety-three percent play loud music when they drive.

-- Forty-eight percent admit they're easily distracted when friends are passengers.

"These survey results also reveal a real discrepancy between how students perceive their own driving behaviors and how they judge others' habits behind the wheel," Mark Dombrowski, public relations supervisor at Erie Insurance, which conducted the survey.

Although most teens consider themselves good drivers, only 34 percent say their friends are good drivers. And nearly all -- 97 percent -- of the respondents reported seeing other teens taking risks such as speeding or not wearing seat belts while driving.