Is your teen driving? If so, you’re going to need to know these startling facts:
– Distraction is a key factor in an astounding 58 percent of crashes involving drivers ages 16 – 19 (distraction covers texting, talking on the phone, using a mobile device to access the internet while driving, using social media or taking selfies).
– Teens have the highest crash rate of any group in the nation.
– Teenagers are 400 percent — 400 percent — more likely to get into an accident because of texting and driving.
If you don’t think your child runs the risk of being distracted while driving, these statistics tell another story.
Facts And Statistics About Distracted Driving
In 2017, distracted driving was reported in crashes that killed 3,166 people (8.6 percent of all fatalities), although many instances may go unreported.
Even teens who recognize that talking or texting on a cell phone or using social media apps while driving is unsafe, engage in these behaviors anyway.
Why are teens distracted drivers?
I talk a lot about how social media and app developers use the brain to influence their programs thanks to our internal reward system. Recent studies have shown that behaviors such as texting, social media and frequent notifications trigger our reward system in the brain, causing teens to need that interaction more and more.
When it comes to teens and driving, if the brain is thinking about anything other than driving, the ability to react to a potential crash is diminished. Add mobile devices to the mix and it becomes deadly in more cases than we should accept. Did you know that teen drivers receive the most calls from their parents?
Five things can parents do to stop teenage distracted driving
– Make your teenager aware of the shocking statistics and facts about teenagers who are distracted drivers.
– Require your teenager to keep their notifications off when driving, there are even great apps that can help with this.
– Ensure their phones are off or at a minimum request they do not text or use their phone while driving. It helps to remind them of the legal consequences of being a distracted driver, too.
– Model safe driving behavior, kids are always watching and picking up habits of their parents.
– Enforce a maximum number of people in the car when your teen is driving
