This post begins with a simple graph that shows that the percent of people, particularly teens, who have texted or e-mailed while driving increases with age. Chart 1, below, shows the trend line. At the ages of 14 and 15, when most teens begin acquiring learner’s permits and restricted licenses, the percent of them who have texted or e-mailed while driving is around 15.5%. This amount then doubles by the age of 16 to 30.5%–the age at which some teens begin acquiring full licenses. This amount then doubles again by the age of 18 or older to 59.5% when all teens are of full-license-age.

This suggests that states that have lower age restrictions for fully licensed drivers will have a greater percentage of people driving with full licenses and, therefore, more people who text or e-mail when driving. To test this insight, I first pull the age requirements for full driving licenses in Chart 2, below. Notice that by 18 years old, all states will fully-license a driver. And, as early as 16 years old, some states will fully-license a driver.

The notion that states that grant full driving licenses at younger ages see a greater percentage of drivers who have texted or e-mailed while driving is borne out in Chart 3, below. Notice that states who grant full licenses at 16 have an average percent of high school students who texted or e-mailed while driving of 51%. Those states with a full license age of 17, have an average percent of 41.4%. And, finally, those states with a full license age of 18 have an average of 36.6%. The difference between states with a full license age of 16 and states with a full license age of 18 have a differential of nearly 15 percentage points in the average percent of high school students who texted or e-mailed while driving.

This post documents a trend between license age and percent who text or e-mail while driving. However, it is unclear why this trend occurs. I posit a thought on the question of “why”? When teens first begin to drive with learner’s permits, they are shadowed by a fully-licensed driver. With a full license, however, teens can drive independently from a supervisor. Perhaps this contributes to answering why those who attain full licenses text or e-mail more when they attain a full driver’s license.

Source: https://www.verywellfamily.com/driving-age-by-state-2611172, https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/2017/ss6708.pdf, https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/2019/su6901-H.pdf