During the 2024-2025 school year, Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS) launched the 4th annual Zero Hero activity to decrease electronic device use among teen pedestrians. The activity consists of a pre-observation, three weeks of messaging, and a post-observation completed by students. The activity was offered to all program schools.
High school student teams were asked to observe teen walkers near their school campus and record if they were or were not visibly using an electronic device. Nineteen schools completed this activity by returning all observation data.
Questions regarding data may be directed to Christine Yager at c-yager@tti.tamu.edu.
The average percentage of teens using a phone while walking was 38% for pre-observations and 31% for post-observations. 74% of schools experienced a decrease in phone usage while walking between the pre- and post-observations.
All 2024 – 2025 Schools
(n=19 schools)
| Pre-Counts | Post-Counts | % Change | |
| Teen Walker Sampling | 2,204 | 2,040 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 34.54% | 29.93% | -13.33% |
| First Year Schools (i.e. the first year that a school completed this activity) (n=9 schools) |
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| Teen Walker Sampling | 1,004 | 941 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 37.05% | 33.54% | -9.47% |
| Multi-Year Schools (the latest year that a school completed this activity) (n=10 schools) |
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| Teen Walker Sampling | 1,200 | 1,099 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 32.43% | 26.84% | -17.24% |
The following sections show state-specific Zero Hero Distracted Walking Results
Texas 2024 – 2025 Schools
(n=4 schools)
| Pre-Counts | Post-Counts | % Change | |
| Teen Walker Sampling | 211 | 270 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 37.91% | 32.30% | -14.80% |
| First Year Schools (i.e., the first year that a school completed this activity) (n=3 schools) |
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| Teen Walker Sampling | 161 | 220 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 44.09% | 36.91% | -16.28% |
| Multi-Year Schools (the latest year that a school completed this activity) (n=1 school) |
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| Teen Walker Sampling | 50 | 50 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 18.00% | 12.00% | -33.33% |
Georgia 2024 – 2025 Schools
(n=2 schools)
| Pre-Counts | Post-Counts | % Change | |
| Teen Walker Sampling | 183 | 201 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 67.78%% | 27.93% | -58.80% |
| First Year Schools (i.e., the first year that a school completed this activity) (n=1 school) |
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| Teen Walker Sampling | 110 | 129 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 61.00% | 29.00% | -52.46% |
| Multi-Year Schools (the latest year that a school completed this activity) (n=1 school) |
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| Teen Walker Sampling | 73 | 72 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 78.00% | 26.00% | -66.67% |
Nebraska 2024 – 2025 Schools
(n=1 multi-year school)
| Pre-Counts | Post-Counts | % Change | |
| Teen Walker Sampling | 213 | 130 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 12.00% | 11.00% | -8.33% |
Colorado 2024 – 2025 Schools
(n=4 first-year schools)
| Pre-Counts | Post-Counts | % Change | |
| Teen Walker Sampling | 547 | 392 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 26.11% | 30.88% | +18.28% |
Washington 2024 – 2025 Schools
(n=3 schools)
| Pre-Counts | Post-Counts | % Change | |
| Teen Walker Sampling | 334 | 244 | |
| Total % of Teens Walking Distracted | 25.20% | 28.93% | +14.77% |