Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety conducted a study that has some pretty disturbing results. The study actually determined that more than half of all teen car crashes involve some type of driver distraction.
The results show that distracted driving is a factor in 58 percent of teen crashes. Nearly 6 out of every 10 moderate to severe accidents involving teens also involved some type of distraction behind the wheel.
The most common distractions for teens are not surprising – interacting with other passengers and cell phone usage. The study analyzed around 1,700 dashboard camera videos. Researchers observed and recorded the behavior of the teen drivers in the moments leading up to the accidents.
The following facts were determined from the study:
- 6 out of 10 teen accidents involve distracted driving.
- 15 percent of those crashes involved drivers interacting with one or more passenger.
- 12 percent of those collisions involved cell phone usage.
- 10 percent of those wrecks involved looking at something in the vehicle.
Teens that were found to be using their cell phones were said to have taken their eyes off the road for about 4.1 seconds out of the final 6 seconds leading to a crash.
Distracted driving is an epidemic involving teen and adult drivers across the country. AAA reports that teen drivers have the highest crash rate of any other driver age group.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has established a set of guidelines called “5 to Drive” in order to attempt to combat the teen distracted driving problem.
- No Cell Phones
- No Extra Passengers
- No Speeding
- No Alcohol
- Always Buckle Up
Car accidents can be difficult for anyone at any age to recover from. No matter how slight or severe the injuries suffered in a collision, it is always a good idea to speak with a personal injury lawyer. Insurance companies are notorious for taking advantage of accident victims, so it is best to have somebody fighting in your corner. For a free consultation to learn more about your rights, please call a Florida Auto Accident Injury Lawyer at Whittel & Melton today at 866-608-5529 or contact us online.