Woman driving while texting. About a third of parents reported reading text messages, one in four sent text messages and one in seven used social media over the last three months while driving children between the ages of 4 and 10 in a moving vehicle. (Photo: Shutterstock)

(Bloomberg) – There has been a historic surge in U.S. traffic fatalities over the last four years as more drivers use their phones to respond to texts or scroll through Instagram feeds. Even parents can't keep keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road, new research shows.

Risky behaviors

Half of all parents use their cellphones while driving with young children in the car, according to a study released Thursday by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. About a third of parents reported reading text messages, one in four sent text messages and one in seven used social media over the last three months while driving children between the ages of 4 and 10 in a moving vehicle.

The study was conducted in 2017 from a national sample of 760 parents and caregivers of children aged 4 to 10.

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