Thanks to WANE-TV for granting permission to share this news report with parents and teens.

(WANE)  Text messaging: It's the latest trend for teenagers, but when they text while they drive, it can turn deadly.  In this 15 Finds Out exclusive report, Newschannel 15's Lindsay DeWitte went looking for how this new driving distraction is growing, why it's so dangerous, and how parents can keep their teens from making a deadly mistake.

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At any given moment in 2005 approximately eight percent of drivers were talking on their cell phones while driving.  Since then cell phone use has grown, and recent studies show teenagers do not perceive using cell phones as a distraction. 

Dr. Alex Antalis, M.D., practices emergency medicine at Parkview hospital.  He sees countless victims of motor vehicle accidents.  Many of those crashes are caused by distractions.  Some are caused by cell phones.  "Having a cell phone in your hand has been proven to be equally as bad as being legally drunk," he said.  Antalis says there are three key elements to safe driving:  Visual, physical, and mental.  He says when you are sending a text message all three elements go out the window. 

Newschannel 15 tested three Fort Wayne teenagers who say text messaging is, or used to be, a regular part of their driving routine.  We took them to an arcade where we simulated an intense driving experience, and asked them to send text messages to each other.  While the experiment wasn't scientific, the teens admit it wasn't easy to do.

In Indiana there are no laws against using hand-held devices while driving.  Indiana Senator Tom Wyss introduced legislation to regulate cell phone use for teenage drivers.  "We would have banned cell phones on anybody with a probationary license," he said.  The proposed bill didn't make it into law, but Wyss says it may be introduced again during the 2008 session.  He says the difficulty getting it passed rests on a balancing act between personal liberties and public safety.  It also brings up the question, should other devices like radios, iPods, and CD players be banned as well?

Allen County Coroner, Dr. Jon Brandenberger, M.D., says safe driving starts at home.  As part of the Allen County Drive Alive program, Brandenberger and his colleagues conducted a scientific poll and found out that kids look to parents as their primary driving instructor.  Because of this Brandenberger recommends parents use a phased-in driving privilege strategy.

According to Brandenberger, so far this year 19 people have died in car crashes in Allen County.  We found out there is no way to track how many accidents are caused by cell phone distractions, because police are not required to include that information in their report.  Still, Brandenberger hopes education will help bring down the number of fatalities.  "I would rather greet your child with a warm cordial handshake than with the cold touch of a gloved hand," he said.