Alarming Study Reveals Risky Behavior With Young Drivers

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Warren Harris has four kids, two of them young drivers and like most parents he worries.

He tells them "Everyday, everyday. Don't turn their phones on in the car. Actually put the phones in the trunk!"

A Triple A study says 88 percent of drivers ages 19 to 24 have admitted to texting, speeding or running red lights in the past month.

David Finley is 24 and says he does not do any of those things

"A lot of people my age aren't smart enough to pay attention or keep track of their surroundings," he said. "They're just into the phone."

Drivers 19 to 24 are also almost twice as likely to have typed or sent a text or email behind the wheel.

Almost half the drivers in the age group admit they've driven through a red light when they could have stopped safely and nearly 14 percent think it was perfectly acceptable behavior.

In the younger age group — 16 to 18 — the study found a significantly lower number of drivers engage in risky behavior behind the wheel at 69 percent.

Elaine Beno with Triple A says parents are the key to good drivers.

"Not answering the phone, not answering a text while driving, following speed laws, that sets up the foundation for good young drivers," Beno said