Report: Distraction Causes Most Teen Driver Crashes

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Most people won’t be too shocked by the findings of a new study, which concludes that almost 60 percent of all teen crashes are caused by distracted driving. The study, which was conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, looked at the final seconds before wrecks, using onboard cameras installed in teen drivers’ cars.

The innovative way of studying teens’ behavior behind the wheel is certainly innovative. It’s also going against the NHTSA’s estimate that distracted driving accounts for only 14 percent of all teen crashes.

What’s surprising is that the number one distraction for teen drivers isn’t cell phones, but instead is other teenagers in the car. Phone use was second, followed by “looking at something in the vehicle” (what could possibly be so interesting?) and “looking at something outside of the vehicle.” The final three common distractions were singing/dancing to music, grooming oneself and reaching for an object.

The findings further damn the use of cell phones while driving. It found that just before a crash, teens using phones had their eyes off the road for an average of 4.1 seconds of the final 6 seconds before impact. When it came to rear-end crashes, over half of the drivers did not attempt to apply the brakes or steer away from an obstacle before hitting it.

AAA is recommending that all states restrict teen driver activity, banning them from using a cell phone at all while they’re behind the wheel. It also recommends that during the first six months of driving, only one family member should be riding in the vehicle. Some states already have similar laws.

A growing number of automakers are launching teen safe driving initiatives, such as Toyota and BMW. Others have introduced new technologies that report driver behavior to parents and even help restrict risky behavior while the car is moving.