Distracted Driving Causes Half of Teen Crashes

[Stuart G]

Source: News 10, Sarasota Fl

We all have to share the road with teen drivers. You've likely seen some preoccupied by friends, cell phones or music. A new AAA study shows that distractions cause more than half of all teen crashes.

The 7-year study is breaking new ground by tracking teen drivers, their behavior behind the wheel, and nearly 1,700 accidents all captured on camera.

The video shows a teen driver listening to music and looking down. He glances up just in time to see a truck turning in front of him.
(video at link)

Another clip show talkative teens more concerned about their conversation than the road and nearly rear-end a car in the rain.

Countryside High senior Danielle Prescott and junior Jeana Fraser can't help but cringe watching the AAA video of the distracted teen drivers. "Oh my God, that was crazy! All of them were texting, just not paying attention," says Prescott. She says she sees it happen all too often. "I know having friends in the car makes me a little more distracted than I could be," says Prescott.

Read more: http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/local/2015/03/25/aaa-distracted-driving-causes-half-of-teen-crashes/70445512/

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Here is a link to the entire study...

https://newsroom.aaa.com/2015/03/distraction-teen-crashes-even-worse-thought/
important data below:

Interacting with one or more passengers: 15 percent of crashes

Cell phone use: 12 percent of crashes

Looking at something in the vehicle: 10 percent of crashes

Looking at something outside the vehicle: 9 percent of crashes

Singing/moving to music: 8 percent of crashes

Grooming: 6 percent of crashes

Reaching for an object: 6 percent of crashes

[nomorenomore08]

1. I may be getting old, but I've noticed this with cars full of kids myself. The more passengers

the worse. My one road accident as a teen - a whole decade and a half ago! - was certainly caused by my own "distraction."

In CA you need to have your license for 6 months before you can have other teens in the car without an adult. I hated that at the time, but now I've come to see the wisdom of it.

[Dustlawyer]

2. Been there and done that with three kids already. My step-daughter turns 16 next month.

Each of the three told me the exact same thing, "I am a really excellent driver." When the last one said it I told her about her older two siblings saying the same thing. I didn't help. She must of had 4 wrecks that were her fault in two years, one while crying and texting her soon to be ex-boyfriend. She hit a brick mailbox and destroyed it. When I told her the mailbox could have been a mom out for a walk with a stroller it finally took.
I hope this helps the last one, I can't take those phone calls anymore, and the car insurance just got back to normal after being $5,000 for 6 months at one point.

[RobinA]

3. I Would Think

most crashes at any age are caused by distracted driving. Or drunk driving, but probaly a lot of them can be attributed as much to distraction as alcohol. Frankly I find bored driving to be a problem for me, although I've never had a crash (pounding on wood). And even bored driving is kind of distracted driving.

[DiverDave]

4. My step-sisters son (17) was reaching for

a cd and wrecked. He died.

Good kid, gone after just a moments inattention.

Matt, you are loved and missed.

[Stuart G]

10. I am sorry for your loss...

[Skittles]

15. heartbreaking

how many of us did not do anything stupid / dangerous when we were young......but to pay for it with your life

[TBF]

5. It can happen with adults too -

I had an accident (fender bender) when I was distracted and reaching for something in the car. 30 years of never having caused one myself (though others have run into me) so I felt horrible of course.

I know with my own kids I don't plan to let them drive with other teens in the car at least at first. If experienced drivers can have it happen you know it's going to be even harder with a new driver.

[Fumesucker]

6. That's the good part about automated cars that drive themselves..

The robot never gets distracted...

Sooner or later humans will be banned from driving, if nothing else by the insurance companies jacking up rates for human drivers to astronomical levels.

And I say this as something of a driving enthusiast who has had a number of higher than average performance vehicles...

[FailureToCommunicate]

8. (Wow. I always assumed you were a bicycle rider from your screen name.) If robots drive our cars

we may be safer, but how sad for people who enjoy driving -especially driving performance vehicles?

The robots will have all the fun, but they won't actually HAVE fun if you know what I mean.

[jeff47]

9. That's why having it be financial instead of regulatory would be good.

If insurance companies make it much cheaper to "drive" autonomous cars, then more people will use them.

People who still want to really drive their sports car would be able to....their insurance would just cost more.

[AngryDem001]

11. Lt. Commander Data is an android.

Not a robot. And he is quite capable of having fun.

[FailureToCommunicate]

12. Of course. I stand corrected...

[FailureToCommunicate]

7. However: "Teens Report Texting or Using Phone While Driving Significantly Less Often than ADULTS"

"Teens Report Texting or Using Phone While Driving Significantly Less Often than Adults"
https://newsroom.aaa.com/2013/12/teens-report-texting-or-using-phone-while-driving-significantly-less-often-than-adults/

Texting while driving is - of course- illegal in Massachusetts.
ANY mobile device use of any sort (texting, talking, etc) is illegal for under 18 year olds.

And yet you see LOTS of other odd distracted driving scenes. My favorite was recently seeing a woman looking down repeated at a large paper pattern spread on her dashboard WHILE cutting a piece of felt with scissors. I tooted my horn, and she was kind enough to set down the scissors...before giving me the finger!

-F2C

[mike_c]

13. when we go on road trips we play "count the texters..."

...as we pass them. It's shocking how many cell phones we see balanced on steering wheels, and people driving down the road starring at their laps. It's not just young people, either.

[LiberalElite]

14. Well,

DUH