NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Texting while driving has now surpassed drinking and driving as the leading cause of death among teens, according to a new study.

More than 3,000 teens die annually from texting while driving, compared to about 2,700 for driving under the influence of alcohol, according to a study by Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park.

Despite a national ad campaign and a national dialogue on the dangers, the study reveals stunning new numbers: 50 percent of students text while driving and half of high school kids who drive said they text behind the wheel, CBS 2′s Carolyn Gusoff reported.

“The reality is kids aren’t drinking seven days per week — they are carrying their phones and texting seven days per week, so you intuitively know this a more common occurrence,” Dr. Andrew Adesman, Chief Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Cohen Children’s Medical Center told Gusoff.

Adesman, the chief author of the study, found that laws against texting while driving are not effective. Fifty-seven percent of boys said they text while driving in states with texting laws, and 59 percent said they text while driving in states that don’t have texting laws, according to the study.

Many are not surprised by the results.

“People are texting and driving all the time,” one man told WCBS 880′s Mike Xirinachs. “I don’t know the exact way to do it, but something’s gotta be done.”

Every single day I see it,” one driver said. “People driving along, texting, talking on their phone. They’re not supposed to do it, but they do it — kids, grown-ups, everybody does it.”

“I’ve seen it firsthand, it does cause accidents, it’s dangerous and it’s irresponsible,” a former police officer told 1010 WINS’ John Montone. “A vehicle is a weapon, just as a gun or a knife, and you can kill people. You don’t deserve to have a driver’s license and that level of responsibility where you can kill people if you’re not willing to take precautions, such as not texting and driving.”

Statistics show that if you are communicating by text while driving a vehicle, you are 23 times more likely to crash.

Some schools have been taking measures to make sure its students stay safe.

Students at the New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury and Freeport High School participated in driving simulations demonstrating the dangers of texting behind the wheel.

Teachers are also taking matters into their own hands by sending their students a strong message about the deadly consequences of texting while driving.

Manhattan schoolteacher Julius Khan said he tells his students to “think about your mother and father crying over your grave or someone’s else grave that you’re responsible for killing.”

“Pay attention to what you’re doing because the life you save could be your own,” Khan added.

Lawmakers have also been pushing for tougher distracted driving laws.

In March, Long Island State Senator Charles Fuschillo proposed harsher penalties for distracted drivers, including increased fines for talking or texting on a cellphone and stricter measures for repeat offenders.

“It goes up to $400 but all the penalties in the world aren’t going to stop someone from being irresponsible,” Fuschillo said.

One possible solution is more widespread use of phone apps that restrict texts and calls from coming in when it detects the phone is in a moving car, Adesman said.

 Frazzled wrote:
Yep. I don't doubt it at all. Back in my day we didn't have those kind of distractions, just the occasional pack of bear dogs. Damn bear dog, you just ate grandma!

 LuciusAR wrote:
Doesnt suprise me in the slightest. I'd have no probalem at all if txting whilst driving where outlawed tomorrow.

 djones520 wrote:

 LuciusAR wrote:
Doesnt suprise me in the slightest. I'd have no probalem at all if txting whilst driving where outlawed tomorrow.

It is in many places. As the story shows though, it doesn't matter. States where it's legal, 59% of teens report doing it. States where it's illegal, 51% do it. Not that much of a differance.

You don’t deserve to have a driver’s license and that level of responsibility where you can kill people if you’re not willing to take precautions, such as not texting and driving.

HiveFleetPlastic wrote:
Hasn't research shown that headsets are just as bad as talking on the phone in terms of driver distraction? Here's one page on the topic.

 timetowaste85 wrote:
I'll chime in as I always do with these threads: I drive for a living, and I'm on my phone everywhere I go, because it passes the time. The difference is, I always have my headset in. My phone also allows for text-talk, so I don't have to actually text-I just talk into the phone and have it read back to me to make sure it's correct. If SIRI screws up, I'll wait to send a text when I stop, or just call the person. And when I had my old flip-phone, I could text with one hand without ever having to look at the screen, knowing the correct number of key-strokes without having to be distracted. I find passengers to be far more distracting than a cell phone though. Thanks to all the idiots who ruined phones and driving for those of us who are safe when doing it!