This is good news for wireless carriers, who see text messaging as a cash cow. Of course, since California has become the latest state to ban text messaging while driving, people in California will soon have to resort to actually speaking to people, at least while behind the wheel.

From Q1 2006 to Q2 2008, calls themselves have remained fairly constant (around 200 a month), while text messages have skyrocketed (from 65 to 357, and rising every quarter). Seemingly echoing Zits' strips, the leading texters are in the 13-17 year age range.

Those aged 13-17 average 1,742 text messages a month. 1,742 a month? Using a 30 day month, that's nearly 60 a day, and (subtracting 8 hours for sleep, but not excluding school time) about 3.6 an hour.

What's just as amazing is that those under 12 average 428 a month.

Small wonder that California opted for a teenage cell phone ban prior to the text messaging ban Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (that still sounds weird) recently signed into law (and which will take effect on January 1st).

It also makes the recent Harris Interactive poll that said that 42% of teens say that they can text while blindfolded a heck of a lot more believable. I would challenge them to do that on a touch-screen only device, like the LG Dare or the iPhone, though!