After three years we’ve finally decided to put up a blog here at WordPress. There’s just too much happening in the teen driving safety arena to limit the news to a once-a-month newsletter.
Our June 2008 Safe Teen Driving newsletter just went out with yet another article about teens using cell phones while they drive. Dr. Anne McCartt of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, finds that bans on cell phones are often ignored by teen drivers. We all hear and agree that using a cell phone, and especially texting while driving, can increase the likelihood of a crash. Here are some research and study results that validate this common concern.
The “100 Car Naturalistic Study” done by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in concert with NHTSA found after 2 million driving miles and 40,000+ hours of driving:
- 80% of crashes and 65% of near crashes were the result of driver inattention
- 35% of secondary tasks (source of inattention) – use of wireless device
Other studies and data, including this report from Aegis Mobility show that:
- Distractions cause up to 80% of crashes
- Cell phones are the #1 driver distraction
- Impairment similar to driving intoxicated
- Hands-free as dangerous as hand-held
- Cell phone drivers four times more likely to be involved in a personal injury accident
- Use of cell phones while driving is banned in 45 countries worldwide
Common Misperceptions
- Talking on a cell phone is no more dangerous than putting on makeup, eating fast food, tuning your radio or reading a map while driving
– Cell phone driving is a visual, mechanical and cognitive distraction. Visual because it requires taking attention off the road ahead. Mechanical because it requires physical action to pick up the phone, dial or accept a call — all of which take attention from the road ahead. Cognitive because using a cell phone while driving takes attention away from the driving task.
- It’s no more dangerous than talking to a passenger
– A passenger in a vehicle is aware of the driving situation and can even serve as an additional look-out for hazards
– The phone carries a certain obligation of immediacy
2 Easy Steps for Setting Limits and Making Them Stick
There shouldn’t be any debate on the dangers of using a cell phone while driving, especially for young, novice drivers. So here’s a simple way to manage the use of your teenager’s phone when they’re behind the wheel.
Sit down with your teen and bring them up to speed on the dangers of talking on the phone while driving. Here’s a good resource you can use to get the point across.
Virtually every cell phone keeps a log of incoming and outbound calls, complete with time and date of each call. Explain to your son or daughter that you’ll be checking their phone log to make sure they’re not driving and using the phone at the same time. And, be sure to explain that coming home with the log erased from the phone’s memory is not an option.
It really can be that quick and easy, and just might prevent a crash, injury or fatality.
