Raising awareness isn’t easy, especially when trying to get teens to understand the dangers of distracted driving. In its survey of 2,000 drivers ages 16-19, AAA and Seventeen magazine found that 86% of those surveyed drove distracted. However, they consider adjusting the radio and eating in the car as distractions.

Those two tried-and-true in-car institutions/distractions were what the teens engaged in most, with 73% guilty of adjusting the radio — the other 27% must drive in silence or have an awesome iPod Genius mix — and 61% eat while driving. Still, 60% talk on a cell phone while driving, which many studies suggest is as distracting whether you’re using a handset or hands-free device.

The survey found that teen drivers who text while behind the wheel sent an average of 23 text messages in the past month. It’s not that teens don’t know what they’re doing is risky. Eight-four percent of the teens surveyed said they know it’s dangerous behavior. Talk about frustrating.

To raise awareness with teens about distracted driving, Seventeen magazine, AAA and the U.S. Department of Transportation wants everyone – teens and adults – to participate in the Two-Second Turnoff Day on Sept. 17. They’re encouraging everyone to take 2 seconds and turn off their cell phones before driving. Why wait? Encourage your teen to try it today.

We here at MotherProof.com want to wish everyone a happy Independence Day, but we also remind you to stay safe behind the wheel during the holiday. The Fourth of July is the day with the most fatal crashes in the U.S., with an average of 148 deaths, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

An IIHS analysis of federal fatal crash data found that July 4, Aug. 13, July 15 and, unsurprisingly, Jan. 1 were the days when the most people died in motor vehicles during 2004-2008. For comparison’s sake, 114 people die in cars each day on average.

IIHS President Adrian Lund penned a press release reminding people to stay safe, but also, interestingly, knocked the sudden focus on distracted driving.

According to Lund, much attention has been given to texting and talking on a cell phone while driving, but cell phone and texting bans in states have shown little positive impact in reducing deaths. More importantly, Lund says, drivers need to slow down. We recommend doing both.

Stay safe and have a happy Fourth.