<P> Texting while driving, also called texting and driving, is the act of composing, sending, reading text messages, email, or making similar use of the web on a mobile phone while operating a motor vehicle . Texting while driving is considered extremely dangerous by many people, including authorities, and in some places have either been outlawed or restricted . A survey of more than 90 teens from more than 26 high schools throughout the United States conducted by Liberty Mutual Insurance Group in 2006 showed that 46% of students consider texting to be either "very" or "extremely" distracting . An American Automobile Association study showed that 34% of teens (age 16--17) admitted to being distracted behind the wheel because of texting and 40% of American teens say they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put people in danger . A study involving commercial vehicle operators conducted in September 2009 concluded that though incidence of texting within their dataset was low, texting while driving increased the risk of accident significantly . </P> <P> Texting has become a social norm since the early 2000s because of the popularity of smartphones . There have been many studies that have linked texting while driving to be the cause of life - threatening accidents due to driver distraction . The International Telecommunication Union states that "texting, making calls, and other interaction with in - vehicle information and communication systems while driving is a serious source of driver distraction and increases the risk of traffic accidents". In 2013 the National Safety Council estimated there were about 1.4 million crashes in the US involving cell phone use . Their model predicted text messaging was involved in 6 - 16% of all car accidents in the US . In 2010, texting while driving amongst young drivers was named a disease burden and ranked 8th overall in the global years of life lost (YLL). The premature mortality of young drivers who crash as a result of distracted driving has a greater effect on YLL than most diseases do . </P> <P> A 2010 experiment with Car and Driver magazine editor Eddie Alterman, which took place at a deserted air strip, showed that texting while driving had a worse impact on safety than driving while intoxicated . The Institute of Industrial Engineers concluded that drivers are 20 times more likely to be involved in an accident while texting and driving as opposed to driving while intoxicated . </P>

When did texting and driving start to become a problem