Teen Drivers on Phones Tied to More US Crashes Than Estimated

Teenagers, the most crash-prone drivers on US roads, may be even more dangerous than thought. A review of in-car video and audio recordings of teen drivers moments before they crashed found some kind of distraction -- such as grooming, mobile-phone use or even dancing -- was a factor in four times as many accidents than previously estimated, said AAA, the organization formerly known as the American Automobile Association.

The distractions contributed largely to the drivers’ inattention to their surroundings and their failure to obey traffic signs and speed limits just before the crashes. The data is being used by the AAA to push more states to adopt graduated license laws, which limit the circumstances in which an adolescent motorist can drive and incrementally lift those restrictions as the person ages and gains more experience on the road. The AAA analysis of 1,691 real-time crash videos of teen drivers showed distractions, including talking, mobile-phone use, singing and dancing, and looking at something other than the road, was a factor in 58 percent of all the crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had estimated distraction to be present in 14 percent of teen crashes. In the AAA study, 89 percent of crashes where the car drove off the road involved some kind of distraction, as did 76 percent of rear-end crashes. None of the crashes reviewed for the study involved fatalities.