14 DAY TRIAL // Researchers from the Queensland University of Technology, in Australia, found in a new study that people who were dependent on their mobile phones were very likely to hide their texting when on the road, even if this crippled their concentration while driving.
A large number of young drivers recruited for this study said that it was more important for them to stay in touch with their friends via their mobile devices than to obey road rules and drive safely. The work was conducted on test subjects between the ages of 17 and 25.
“Despite the dangers of attention being further diverted from the road when concealing their texting, twice the number of young drivers admitted to texting in a concealed manner than in an overt manner,” QUT expert Cassandra Gauld told the Australasian College of Road Safety Conference this week.
Of the respondents in the study, 50 percent admitted to sending a sneaky text while driving at least once or twice per week. Around 60 percent of participants reported reading a text message covertly while driving. Only 31 percent admitted to doing so overtly.