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Nearly 90-Percent of Teens Drive While Distracted

by Terrence O'Brien on August 4, 2010 at 04:50 PM

Driving While Distracted
In May of 2009, we learned that, despite fully knowing the dangers of doing so, most teens were still driving while texting. A new survey from AAA and Seventeen Magazine shows that, even though awareness has improved, still more teens are engaging in distracting behavior while driving. The study asked 1,999 teens (apparently unable to get just one more kid), ages 16 to 19, about the sorts of things they did while driving, and whether or not they were aware that such activities were potentially dangerous. Though 84-percent of respondents said they knew that distracted driving increased their risk of being in an accident, a staggering 86-percent of kids still engaged in such behavior, including texting, talking on a cell phone, eating and applying makeup.

One positive note in the study is that the number of teens texting at the wheel has dropped dramatically to only 28-percent. However, it does reveal that texting isn't the only distraction teens face when cruising. Adjusting the stereo, eating and talking on a cell phone were all clear leaders for in-car distractions. The survey also showed that, as teens get older and more comfortable behind the wheel, they're actually more likely to engage in such reckless behavior. Perhaps the most disturbing revelation is why, despite knowing the dangers, teens continue to distract themselves. Nearly a quarter of those surveyed replied that it "makes driving less boring." Apparently it's not good enough that a vehicle functions as a mode of transportation; now it has to be an entertainment and communications hub. We never thought we'd say it, but we just don't understand kids these days. [From: USA Today]

Tags: cartech, DistractedDriving, distraction, DrivingWhileDistracted, DrivingWhileTexting, dwt, survey, TextingWhileDriving, top

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