Distracted Driving Among Teenagers
Article written 2014
Archived 2023
The Article
Teenage drivers are most prone to distracted driving-related crashes, which is commonly due to their affinity and avid use of cell phones and other technologies. They are inexperienced and still developing and maturing their decision-making and risk-management skills.
Because of cell phones’ wide presence and influence, distracted driving behaviors have become common among teenage drivers.
A study by the Foundation for Traffic Safety found that teenage drivers pose the highest crash rates in all of the United States. Some of its salient findings show that distracted driving behavior was affected by various factors, including the number of passengers, their type, and age.
Key Finding – Causes of Teenage Distracted Behavior
The study found that in the case of teens, the biggest reason was the use of electronic devices, especially when there were no passengers, and the least common was when a partner or other adult was present. Teenage drivers were 60% less likely to use the devices when another peer was present. Loud conversations and horseplay behavior were common when multiple teenage peers were in the vehicle.
Prime Cause of Accidents – Looking Away
Looking away from the road is the leading cause of near collisions, fatal road crashes, hard braking, and swerving. Distracted behavior in teenagers, on average, caused them to look away for 2 seconds.
Given that a car traveling at 65 mph can cover nearly 2/3 of a football field, such distractions can prove disastrous for every passenger.
Behaviors You Should be Aware of
The two common behaviors that you should avoid include:
Use of Electronic Devices – The study found that teenagers using electronic devices like smartphones were three times more likely to look away.
When comparing talking and texting, the study found that nearly twice as many teens were operating an electronic device for texting instead of talking. The study analyzed 7,858 clips, which were automatically recorded when a pre-set g-force was exceeded by a vehicle. 7% of these occurred because of the use of electronics alone.
Horseplay – Drivers were two and a half times more likely to look away for 2 seconds and more when horseplay with other passengers was involved.
Teens engaged in several distracting behaviors in 15.1% of the video clips. It included adjusting controls (6.2% ), personal grooming (3.8%), and eating or drinking (2.8%).
When combined, young drivers were six times more likely to be in severe accidents and near collisions.
