College students guilty of distracted driving
April 30, 2012
There's no denying the fact that balancing the demands of motherhood with pursuing a college degree can be challenging. This busy life often requires moms to become experts in multi-tasking.
Now, a new survey reveals that college students of all ages are taking part in some risky behaviors, all in the name of juggling a lot of responsibilities at once.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego say that almost 80 percent of college students in San Diego County admit to using a cell phone while driving, and about half send or receive text messages while behind the wheel.
Nearly 5,000 students participated in the survey.
"This study highlights the high prevalence of distracted driving in college students, including texting while driving, something we see first-hand each and every day," the California Highway Patrol's Robert Clark told 10News.com.
Experts warn against these risky behaviors.
"Texting while driving increases the crash rate 16 to 32 times, four times that of driving under the influence," UCSD Medical Center's Dr. Linda Hill told KPBS News. "Imagine driving full speed down the freeway and taking your eyes off the road for three to five seconds, you can drive the length of a football field in that time and it's as if you're driving with your eyes shut."
Something that doesn't put student parents at risk is financing their education. Moms often quality for various grants for parents, scholarships for mothers, single mother scholarships and other financial aid that helps them offset the high cost of getting a degree.
