According to a new research from a State Farm/Harris Interactive survey, teens view the consequences of texting while driving as less severe than those of drunk driving. And parents may not be spending as much time educating their teens on the dangers of texting while driving as drinking while driving.  The reality is texting while driving can have the same dire consequences as driving drunk.

To kick off National Teen Driver Safety Week, Jesse McCartney discusses the issue of distracted driving among teen drivers, how teens can be more responsible behind the wheel, and results from the survey on texting while driving versus drunk driving.

Jesse McCartney is a 23-year-old multi-platinum recording artist, best known for hit singles “How Do You Sleep?” (featuring Ludacris) and “Leavin'” – the latter was a blockbuster smash, spending six weeks at No. 1 on the Top 40 Chart and went on to sell more than 2 million digital downloads on iTunes. McCartney's platinum-selling status began in 2004 with debut album Beautiful Soul, which sold over 1.5 million copies. He’s currently promoting his new single, “Shake,” and preparing for the release of his fourth studio album. The musician and actor is also known for his role in Summerland and recently had a recurring role in ABC Family’s Greek. He also has a role in the upcoming 2011 film The Clockwork Girl.  He is working with State Farm to speak to the distracted driving issue and share information from the company’s new survey data regarding texting while driving vs. drunk driving. McCartney lost a friend in a drunk driving accident when he was a teenager.

 This interview is provided by State Farm.