What’s Distracting Teen Drivers?

Updated May 29, 2019

In 2013, teens were involved in 963,000 crashes, resulting in 383,000 injuries and 2,865 deaths.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety conducted a comprehensive research study in 2015 looking into the causes of teen crashes. The research results indicate distracted driving is much more serious than we all thought.

Distracted Driving Is a Factor

Researchers analyzed 1,700 videos taken from in-vehicle event recorders. Specifically, researchers studied the six seconds leading up to the accident. Researchers concluded that six out of ten moderate-to-severe teen crashes were due to distraction.

Distraction was a factor in the following cases:

• 58 percent of all crashes studied
• 76 percent of rear-end crashes studied
• 89 percent of road-departure crashes studied

Common Distractions

Survey results indicate these are the most common distractions:

• Interacting with passengers: 15 percent of crashes
• Cellphone use: 12 percent of crashes
• Looking at something in the vehicle: 9 percent of crashes
• Singing/dancing: 8 percent of crashes
• Grooming: 6 percent of crashes
• Reaching for something in the car: 6 percent of crashes

The study also revealed that drivers using their cell phones had their eyes off the road for an average 4.1 out of the final 6 seconds leading up to the accident. Also, more than 50 percent of the time before a rear-end impact, the distracted teen drivers failed to react before the impact, meaning the crash occurred without braking.

Wilson Kehoe Winingham brings you this information with best regards for you and your family’s safety.

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