If you 're holding onto the stereotype about foolhardy teens fiddling with their smartphones while driving , you might want to look at yourself first . In a new survey by AT & T , almost half of adults admitted to texting while driving , compared to a slightly smaller number of teens who fessed up to the same thing . About 49 % of adults say they 've sent a text while behind the wheel , according to a new survey conducted for the mobile company , compared with 43 % of teens in a survey from last April . And here 's the thing -- they all know it 's wrong . A full 98 % of respondents said they 're aware that texting and driving is n't safe . The report is part of AT & T 's `` It Can Wait '' campaign , designed to discourage texting while driving . Started in 2009 , the campaign was ramped up last year with a series of somber TV ads featuring people who were injured , or the families of drivers who were killed , in car accidents in which a driver was using a phone . `` Through the It Can Wait movement , AT & T is collaborating with employers , nonprofits , law enforcement , educators , legislators , professional associations and government agencies nationwide , '' said Cathy Coughlin , AT & T 's global marketing officer , in a written statement . `` I 'm confident , together we can save lives by encouraging millions more to make the personal commitment never to text and drive . '' Despite the broad awareness about the dangers of texting behind the wheel , the survey suggests that the problem is getting worse . Six out of every 10 respondents said that , three years ago , they never texted while driving . And 40 % of the people who admit to texting in the survey say it 's a habit , not just an occasional slip-up . Drivers who are texting are 23 times more likely to get into an accident than other drivers , according to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute . The report comes as National Distracted Driving Month is set to begin on Monday . AT & T is urging employers to start programs encouraging workers to take no-texting pledges . The recent survey was of 1,011 adult drivers in the U.S. who own cell phones . The teen survey was conducted last April with 1,200 drivers between 15 and 19 years old .
AT & T report says almost half of adults admit they text while driving . Just 43 % of teens confess to doing the same thing . Nearly all -- 98 % -- of respondents knew texting and driving is unsafe .