Findings on driving, phoning, texting

 Some of the findings from a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey on driving, phoning and texting released Thursday:

• When asked how they think their driving is different when talking on the phone or sending messages, about half of drivers said talking on a hand-held device and one-quarter said texting or sending messages makes no difference in their driving performance.

• Men and women are equally likely to make or accept phone calls, read incoming email or text messages and send messages while driving.

• Drivers younger than 25 are two to three times more likely than older drivers to read or send text messages or emails.

• There were very few situations when drivers would never talk on the phone or never send texts or emails while driving. Bad weather was the primary driving situation cited by half the drivers, and a quarter said bumper-to-bumper or fast-moving traffic would influence their decision not to place calls or send messages.

• The majority of drivers, 66 percent, indicated their most common action when receiving calls while driving is to answer and keep driving.

• About 9 in 10 drivers said that when they are passengers they would consider a driver who was sending or reading a text message or email as very unsafe. Even among the youngest drivers, 62 percent said they would feel that way.

• By large majorities, drivers support bans on handheld cell phone use and texting while driving, 71 percent and 94 percent respectively.