1 out of 4 Americans still texting while driving

Americans just love their cars... and they love their cell phones, too.

Turns out they continue to love them together, despite safety warnings -- and in many cases, legal restrictions -- to the contrary, as a new poll claims that 26 percent of Americans admit to text messaging while they drive.

And that's just the ones that fess up to the practice.

Some states are seeing even higher figures: Tennessee, oddly, was worst, with 42 percent of those polled admitting to sending texts while behind the wheel. And, of course, the problem is epidemic among the youth: 66 percent of those 19 or younger say they text while they drive.

Today only eight states (plus the District of Columbia) outlaw text messaging while driving. Four more states will amend their laws to outlaw the practice before the end of the year. By comparison, only five states plus D.C. outlaw all handheld cell phone use while driving, though many municipalities are free to set their own additional restrictions in lieu of a statewide ban.

For obvious reasons, text messaging has more observers concerned about the hazards of the practice while driving than talking on cell phones does. While talking requires the use of one hand, the occasional glance away from the road, and a large chunk of your thought processes, texting often takes a second hand (leaving the driver steering with a knee), and significantly greater eye distraction.

These hazards made national news last year when it was revealed that the driver of a locomotive had been exchanging text messages with some young friends just seconds before crashing headlong into another train. The 25 people killed made it the worst train crash in 15 years and led to an overhaul of California train safety regulations.

However, widespread public awareness of the problem hasn't led to a decline in text messaging while driving, and in fact it seems to be on the rise. How many more fatalities will it take before lawmakers -- and the public -- will get behind initiatives to keep cell phones safely stowed while their owners are driving their cars?