Sure, teenagers have heard this warning since they drove Model T’s, but today the wheel faces some major competition for their hands–the cellphone.
Teens are both conditioned and expected to be available on their phones 24/7, especially via text. (Some even consider it an addiction.) This has naturally extended to dangerous behind-the-wheel behavior. So far 17 states and the District of Columbia have restricted teen access to cell phones while driving. But are they obeying?
Mobile Crunch reported on a study done by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety that compared drivers 18 and younger in both North Carolina—which bans teen cell phone use—and South Carolina—where no laws are in place. The study found that both sets of teens used their cell phones while driving at about the same rate.
Insurance mogul Nationwide also released figures about Driving While Distracted (DWD)—driving while either talking, texting, or engaging in conversation—showing that 60% of teens and 88% of adults talk while driving. With an additional 36% of teens texting while driving, Nationwide questioned these drivers on why they cannot put down the phone to drive—47% said they DWD in order to stay connected with their friends.
Okay, so this is a problem. Automobile accidents are the leading cause of teenage death, with teens three times more likely than another other age group to be involved in a fatal car crash. Attempting to enact laws , though, appears to have little affect on dangerous behavior.
Ohio teen Cassie Carr believes that peer-to-peer communication could have a much better impact. After having a friend total her car while reaching for her cell phone, Cassie pledged not to DWD when she gets her license. In addition to her personal pledge, the 16-year-old tries to stop friends from doing it. She said:
A friend of mine texted while I was in the passenger seat. I asked what was so urgent and she replied saying “I still have one hand on the wheel!” I’d rather know that my friends are safe rather than getting an instant response. Why risk your life for something like a text?
Indeed, better to risk your social life then your actual life. We hope Cassie’s pledge catches on.
