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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that as many as 14 % of teen driver-related accidents involve distractions. However, new statistics seem to indicate that the number is much higher.
According to the AAA foundation for Traffic Safety, one of its recent studies found that distraction was a factor in nearly 6 out of every 10 accidents involving teenagers. That is at least four times the official federal estimates.
This study involved an analysis of the seconds just before an accident. The researchers went through close to 1700 videos of teenage drivers in accidents. They found that distraction was a factor in as many as 58% of all the accidents that they surveyed.
That included as many as 89% of all accidents in which the car left the road. It also included 76% of all rear end accidents. These numbers are much higher than the 14% estimates by the federal administration.
The types of distractions also varied, and did not involve only cell phone use at the wheel. In 15% of the accidents, the distraction involved Interaction between motorists and teen passengers. Cell phone use was a factor in 12% of the accidents, while motorists who were looking at something other than the road caused 12 percent of the accidents. Distraction from outside the vehicle was a factor in 9% of the accidents, while music-related distractions, self-grooming and reaching for an object inside the car were cited as distractions in 6% of the accidents.
Cell phone use seemed to be some of the most dangerous distractions. Teenagers using cell phones at the wheel were most likely to take their hands off the steering wheel. They frequently used their hands, to dial numbers, or text while driving, and also often took their eyes off the road while driving, increasing the risk of an accident.
