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Eighty-nine percent of American adults believe that sending text messages or emails while driving is dangerous and should be banned according to a new survey commissioned by mobile messaging service Pinger and conducted by Harris Interactive.

Ninety-one percent of adults said that drivers distracted by sending text messages or emails were as dangerous as drivers who had been drinking. Even though the majority of adults believed that driving while texting is dangerous, 66 percent said they have read text messages or emails while driving, and 57 percent said they sent text messages while driving.

"We all know that distracted driving is dangerous, especially when drivers take their eyes off the road to text message," said Greg Woock, CEO of Pinger. "But, as these numbers show, people want to stay connected when they're on the go."

State governments are beginning to address the issue of driving while texting. The state of Washington passed the nation's first ban on texting while driving in May of this year and six other states including New York, California and Florida are considering similar legislation.

The survey also found that 64 percent of adults who sent text messages while driving were between the ages of 18 and 34, while only 6 percent were 55 or older. Men and women sent text messages while driving at equal rates.

The survey was conducted online in the U.S. between June 29 and July 3 among 2,049 adults.