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FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. More than half of Connecticut teens polled say they send text messages, email and talk on their cellphones while driving, a state school health survey reports.
A total of 53 percent of the students said they talked on their phones and 50.9 percent said they texted or did email, according to results of the 2011 Connecticut School Health Survey done by the Connecticut Department of Public Health.
Compared with the national average, a higher percentage of Connecticut teens reported drinking and smoking marijuana, the survey found. A higher percentage of teens in the state also said they don't wear seat belts and had ridden in a car with a driver who was drunk.
The school health survey findings show that many of our young drivers engage in behaviors that put them at even greater risk when they get behind the wheel, said Dr. Jewel Mullen, Department of Public Health commissioner.
A 16-year-old New Canaan girl was charged last month in the death of a jogger from Norwalk. The girl was using her iPhone while driving when the jogger was hit and killed, Norwalk police say.
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