Teen Driving Problems Worse than Expected
It has long been known that cellphones, passengers and other distractions contribute to many crashes involving teen drivers. A study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the University of Iowa, however, has found that the problem may be bigger than once thought.
After carefully analyzing almost 1,700 videos recorded by in-vehicle cameras, AAA determined that distractions contributed to nearly 6 in 10 teen crashes—four times what the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration previously estimated based on police reports.
What did AAA’s study look at?
Researchers studied dashboard video footage from crashes involving drivers aged 16-19 who were participating in a teen driving program. Each camera filmed the driver as well as the vehicle’s forward view. When hard braking, fast turning or impacts were detected, the recorder saved 12 seconds of data from the incident. The footage below offers examples of the kinds of crashes that were analyzed.
Where do distractions come from?
In the crashes studied, the biggest culprits were:
15 percent of drivers were talking to or interacting with one or more passengers
Passengers were present in 36% of crashes. Of those passengers, 84% appeared to be age 16-19
12 percent of drivers were interacting with cellphone
Teen drivers who crashed while using a cellphone had their eyes off the road for an average of four of the final six seconds before the crash. More than half the teens who rear-ended another vehicle while distracted by a cellphone did not steer, brake or react at all before impact.
10 percent of drivers were looking at something in the vehicle
9 percent of drivers were looking at something outside the vehicle
8 percent of drivers singing or moving to music
6 percent of drivers were grooming themselves
6 percent of drivers were reaching for an object
Since teens are still acquiring crucial experience in their first years behind the wheel, parents should impress upon young drivers the importance of focusing their undivided attention on the road:
Explain that even brief cellphone distractions can be disastrous.
In the videos studied by AAA, some cellphone-distracted teens drifted into oncoming lanes within moments of looking down. Previous research by the Foundation for Traffic Safety has found that taking one’s eyes off the road for more than two seconds doubles the risk of a crash.
Set rules for how many teen passengers can accompany their teen driver.
In most states, thanks to Graduated Driver Licensing laws, there are legal limits on how many young passengers can ride with intermediate-level teen drivers. Parents should ensure that their teens know what the law says, verify that they are complying, and consider setting their own more stringent rules.
Stress that all distractions are dangerous.
Even if teens have good cellphone habits and follow the law when it comes to passengers, anything that involves taking eyes off the road ahead is dangerous. Parents should reinforce that reaching for something in the back seat or staring at a fender-bender at the side of the road can just as easily lead to a crash.
Create a parent-teen driving agreement.
Working out an agreement together is a chance for parents to explain to their teens the importance of driving distraction-free, and to make driving privileges dependent on the teens’ commitment to safety. The signed agreement can be displayed at home as a daily reminder.
Uncategorized | admin July 8, 2015
