Distraction and Teen Crashes: Even Worse Than We Thought

Unprecedented Look into the Causes of Teen Crashes by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

Distracted driving among teen drivers is a much more serious problem than previously thought, according to a new study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

In this groundbreaking study, researchers analyzed the six seconds leading up to a crash from nearly 1,700 crash videos of teen drivers. They found that distraction was a factor in nearly 6 out of 10 moderate-to-severe teen crashes, which is four times as many as official estimates based on police reports.

“Unprecedented access to crash videos has allowed us to better understand the moments leading up to a crash in a way that was previously impossible,” said Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma. “This analysis provides irrefutable evidence that teen drivers are distracted in much greater numbers than we previously realized.”

According to the study, the most common forms of distraction leading up to a crash by a teen driver are:

Interacting with one or more passengers: 15 percent of crashes

Cell phone use: 12 percent of crashes

Looking at something in the vehicle: 10 percent of crashes

Looking at something outside the vehicle: 9 percent of crashes

Singing/moving to music: 8 percent of crashes

Grooming: 6 percent of crashes

Reaching for an object: 6 percent of crashes

“Oklahoma law now requires teens who hold a Learner’s Permit or an Intermediate Driver’s License not use handheld electronic communication devices of any sort,” said Mai. “Now, it’s more important than ever that state lawmakers extend the ban on texting by all age drivers by bringing Senate Bill 821 and House Bill 1965 out of committees where they are presently bottled up.”

 
Researchers found that drivers manipulating their cell phones had their eyes off the road for an average of 4.1 out of the final six seconds leading up to a crash. In rear-end crashes, researchers determined that teens using cell phones failed to react more than half the time before the impact, meaning they crashed without braking or steering.

Teens already have the highest crash rates of any age group in the United States, with about 963,000 drivers ages 16 to 19 being involved in police-reported crashes in 2013. These crashes resulted in 383,000 injuries and 2,865 deaths. 

Parents play a critical role in preventing distracted driving. AAA recommends that parents teach teens about the dangers of cell phone use and restrict passengers during the learning-to-drive process. Before parents begin practice driving with teens, they should create a parent-teen driving agreement that includes strict ground rules related to distraction. For more information, visit TeenDriving.AAA.com.

The full research report and b-roll video of teen driver crashes is available on the Foundation’s website. The Foundation partnered with researchers at the University of Iowa to conduct this study.

Established by AAA in 1947, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, publicly-supported charitable educational and research organization. Dedicated to saving lives and reducing injuries on our roads, the Foundation’s mission is to prevent crashes and save lives through research and education about traffic safety. The Foundation has funded more than 200 research projects designed to discover the causes of traffic crashes, prevent them and minimize injuries when they do occur. Visit www.AAAFoundation.org for more information on this and other research.


AAA is North America’s largest motoring, leisure travel and safety advocacy organization with more than 55 million members. A not-for-profit, fully tax-paying auto club, AAA Oklahoma serves its 378,000 Oklahoma members with emergency roadside assistance, auto travel counseling and a wide range of personal insurance, worldwide travel and financial services at branch offices across Oklahoma and online at AAA.com.