Safety researchers have discovered that distraction plays a bigger role in accidents involving teen drivers than previously thought.
New Study Shows Distraction to Blame for Over Half of Teen Accidents
New findings show that the NHTSA’s estimation that 14% of teen accidents are caused by distracted driving is much too low. A recent study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that nearly 60% of teen auto accidents can be blamed on distracted driving. The researchers came to this conclusion after analyzing nearly 1700 videos taken moments before a crash by cameras mounted in vehicles that gave researchers a view of both the inside of the vehicle and the driver’s view from the windshield.
Common Causes of Teen Distraction
What was distracting the teen drivers? The most common distractions were talking to passengers, and, no surprise here – cell phones.
Other less obvious sources of distraction included singing, grooming, and reaching for an object.
Source:
The Kansas City Star