Distracted Driving and Motor Vehicle Crashes Among Teens

Motor vehicle crashes are one of the most common causes of death for adolescents in the United States. Adolescents are 4 times more likely to be involved in a motor vehicle crash compared with drivers older than 20 years. A major risk factor for motor vehicle crashes is distracted driving. Distracted driving includes the following: - Any behavior that takes the driver’s eyes off the road (visual distraction). - Any behavior that takes the driver’s hands off the steering wheel (manual distraction). - Anything that takes the driver’s mind off driving (cognitive distraction). One of the most common forms of distracted driving for teens today is cell phones. Currently, 77% of drivers talk on their phones while driving, 81% of young adults write text messages while driving, and 92% of young adults read text messages while driving. Drivers are 23-fold more likely to crash if texting while driving. Texting is a behavior that has potential to create visual distraction by looking at the screen to read the text, manual distraction by using one’s hands to click the text or text back, and cognitive distraction if the driver is focusing on the content of the message. A recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that texting while driving negatively affects the driving performance of adolescents. In this study, teens who texted while driving a simulator had changes in speed as well as position in the road. The researchers found that texting could triple the risk of driving outside one’s lane. Thus, texting is a particularly dangerous behavior for adolescent drivers. Certain adolescent conditions and situations can also increase the risk of a motor vehicle crash, particularly if cell phones are being used. In this month’s study in JAMA Pediatrics, adolescents with attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder had increased driving errors compared with those without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Adolescents who drive after using substances such as alcohol and marijuana are also at increased risk for a motor vehicle crash; that risk certainly increases if cell phones are being used while driving.... Keywords: Driver distraction; Language: en