A new AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study shows that distracted driving among teens is a bigger problem than initially thought.
Data from 1,700 teen driver crashed captured on camera showed that distraction was a factor in 58 percent of all crashes studied. AAA says previous estimates based on police reports showed that distracted driving only accounted for 14 percent of teen driver crashes.
The new study found that the most common forms of distraction leading up to a crash were interacting with passengers at 15 percent -- using cell phones accounted for 12 percent of crashes.
Jim Lardear, a spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic, says parents should be involved in addressing the issue.
“Everytime your teen takes the car keys, make sure you’re reaffirming these points: pay attention to the road, don’t be distracted by your passengers and put your cellphone in the glove box and don’t be looking at it when you’re behind the wheel,” he said. “Those are things that would really improve safety for teen drivers.”
Lardear adds that Delaware does a good job of providing new teen drivers with proper training.
“Delaware, for its part, has one of the best teen driver laws in the county, and that’s something it should be proud of,” he said.
The study also found that distracted driving was involved in 89 percent of road-departure crashes and 76 percent of rear-end crashes.