As of this week, 30 states have passed laws that prevent drivers from using mobile devices behind the wheel. Spend enough time driving around, though, and you’re certain to spot several commuters with their eyes glued to screens rather than the road.

Is the problem, however, so bad that states need to pass laws? After all, if it’s just a few derelicts out there, then it might not be worth the time and expense of writing a bill, passing it, and enforcing the law.

A recent study paid for by Vlingo shows that, yes, these laws are certainly needed. Vlingo hired Toluna, a research company, to contact 5,000 consumers and poll them about their mobile phone usage in the car. The results show that, on average, a whopping 35 percent of drivers text behind the wheel.

Drivers in their 20s are by far the worst offenders. 62 percent of them text and drive.

If you’re a 20-something who lives in Idaho, then chances are that you rarely even glance at the road: 45 percent of drivers in Idaho say that they use their mobile devices while behind the wheel. Kentucky and Missouri, however, were far behind. 44 and 43 percent of drivers in those states, respectively, say that they text and drive. That’s almost half of the people on the road. Not exactly the kind of driving environment that makes you feel safe.

How bad is texting behind the wheel. Some studies have shown that mobile phones are so distracting that they cause as  many accidents as driving under the influence of alcohol. Imagine if nearly half of the people sharing the road with you were drunk.

To be fair, mobile phones aren’t really as bad as driving drunk. After all, if you’re drunk, then you’re drunk all the way home. If you’re texting, then the distraction is intermittent. Presumably you look at the road some times, right? Unless your eyes constantly dart from the phone to the GPS screen to the radio.

As more and more states outlaw using phones behind the wheel, you have to wonder whether the laws have any effect. According to the Vlingo study, about 25 percent of the people polled didn’t even know whether texting and driving was legal in their states.

Somewhat of a disclaimer about the research mentioned above: Vlingo makes an application for mobile phones that allows people to use their devices hands free, so they do have motive for proving that texting and driving is a bad idea. At the same time, who’s going to dispute it? The study says that 67 percent of drivers would feel safer if texting and driving were stopped.