April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. With us, helping people injured by distracted drivers is a year-round activity. But, April is a good opportunity to shine a light on a problem that devastates families and communities — especially when it involves our least experienced drivers. Distracted driving causes so many needless injuries and deaths on Alabama roadways. Too often, a teenage driver is involved.
Why Teenagers Are At Higher Risk For Distracted Driving
Why are teen drivers at higher risk for distracted driving crashes? Teenagers bring a unique mix of contributing issues — Overconfidence, Peer Influence, Constant Phone Connectivity, and Driving Inexperience. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drivers between the ages of 16-19 are nearly three times more likely than older drivers to suffer fatal crashes for each mile driven.
What distracted behaviors frequently impact teenage drivers? They include:
- Texting
- Social media use
- Adjusting music
- Using GPS
- Talking to passengers
- Eating / Drinking
- Mental Distractions
Maybe you noticed that the first four activities I listed all likely involve a cellphone. I’ve written numerous times about the danger of cellphones and texting. I’ve noted in my prior posts that texting is so dangerous because it involves and combines all three types of dangerous distraction — Manual, Visual and Cognitive. More than anyone else, teenagers seem to stay in constant communication with friends. And, teenagers also regularly have all their social media, music and map apps on their cellphone.
A WHNT news story from a couple years ago highlighted the dangers of teens and distracted driving. According to that WHNT story, over 60% of teen driver crashes are caused by distracted driving. With teenage drivers, both speeding and distraction have been leading causes of terrible crashes. With the use of smartphones in recent years, the two causes have tremendously increased the dangers of teen driving. In fact, AAA calls speeding, distractions, and aggression, the deadly trio on U.S. roads. All three behaviors — speeding, distraction, and risk taking — are much more common teenage behaviors.
We’ve all seen how teenagers are glued to their smartphones! With some teens, their smartphone rarely ever leaves their hands! In addition to near-constant smartphone use, many of our cities have experienced rapidly growing road networks. Here in northern Alabama, Huntsville has exploded in growth. During some hours, roads like Highway 72, Highway 53, and Highway 431, are bumper-to-bumper with cars. At the same time, on I-565 cars are either going too fast or completely stopped. As Huntsville, Athens and other neighboring towns continue to grow, traffic in-and-out of Huntsville will only increase. And, the risk of distraction will increase tremendously.
How Parents Can Help Change Teenager Driving Behavior
According to a AAA Foundation survey, 87% of teen drivers admit knowing that texting while driving is dangerous. Yet, half of them still text and drive. I could cite numerous statistics on the number of crashes attributed to distracted driving. However, I believe the real numbers are much worse than the reported accident statistics. Why? First, many people try to deny their distracted behavior following a crash. I’ve heard these denials over-and-over in our car accident cases. Second, when researchers study actual driver behavior by placing cameras in vehicles, the results often show a far greater rate of distracted driving than admitted by drivers.
When it comes to teens, the deadly trio of speeding, distraction and aggression, is so true. In addition, many teens often lack a real appreciation of the risks and dangers to them and others. As a parent, how can you help change the driving behaviors of teens?
1. Be A Good Role Model
Setting a good example is the most important thing we can do! Our kids watch our behavior. As adults, we should never text and drive.
2. Implement Driving Rules
As a parent, I know the worries of watching your teenagers drive away to school, work, or social activities. Those worries never stop. When your kids begin to drive, create clear rules such as no phone use.
3. Limit Passengers
The risk of serious crashes exponentially increases as teens add passengers. When you put a bunch of teenagers in the same car, you know they are much more likely to all be distracted. You should consider limiting the number of passengers you allow your teenager to carry in his or her car.
4. Use Technology
Although modern smartphones are a source of distraction, they also come with technology to block those distractions. With Apple’s “Do Not Disturb While Driving” or Android’s “Driving Mode,” you can use technology to block texting while driving. Other third-party apps are also available that allow you to track driving behavior.
Distracted Driving Prevention Begins With Awareness And Building Good Habits
Distracted driving starts with a dangerous and deadly decision. For some drivers that bad decision then develops into a dangerous habit of regularly driving while distracted. Distracted driving puts everyone else on the roadway in danger as well. For teen drivers, education, accountability, and role models, can make all the difference! During Distracted Driving Awareness Month take the time to talk with your kids about safe driving. It’s a conversation that could save their life or the lives of others on the highway around them.
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At Blackwell Law Firm, we see the harm of distracted driving every day. We see firsthand the terrible losses caused by distracted drivers. We hear the terrible stories of needless loss. We talk to the victims of distracted driving on a daily basis. We represent people injured in distracted driving crashes across northern Alabama. Unlike many firms that handle a variety of cases, we ONLY handle personal injury cases so that we can focus completely on helping our injured clients. From our offices in Huntsville and Athens, we’ve tried personal injury cases to verdict in counties across our state. We know the courtroom. We are dedicated to helping our clients recover the maximum compensation available. And, we are dedicated to doing our part to improve safety on Alabama roads.
(256) 261-1315
