KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A University of Tennessee poll shows an overwhelming majority of Tennesseans think texting behind the wheel is as unsafe as drunken driving. Yet 27 percent of respondents said they had texted while driving in the previous month.
The poll was conducted by UT's Center for Transportation Research. It showed a nearly equal percentage of people think drunken driving is highly dangerous, but a quarter of respondents said they had done it in the last 30 days, according to The Knoxville News Sentinel.
Center director Jerry Everett said drivers seem to recognize the behaviors could have disastrous results, yet some rationalize that it's OK to take the risk.
The telephone survey included responses from 928 Tennessee residents between February and April last year.