The good news: Teens believe driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is bad and that texting while driving can be equally dangerous. The bad news: Teens also have a conflicted understanding of what under the influence and texting while driving actually mean.

According to a poll by Liberty Mutual Insurance and the organization Students Against Destructive Decisions, 86 percent of teens say that driving while drunk or on drugs is “extremely or very distracting”; 10 percent of teens who say they never drink and drive admit to driving if they’ve had a drink. When 21 percent of teens hear the term designated driver, they associate that with someone who is basically sober, meaning it’s OK if they’ve had a little alcohol or drugs. Another 4 percent said a designated driver is simply the most sober person in a given group.

Likewise, 96 percent believe texting can be extraordinarily distracting. Yet of the teens who said they never texted while driving, nearly half admitted to texting while at a red light or stop sign. (PRNewswire)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and his two children. Follow him on Twitter.