Teens, Cell Phones, and Driving

Many parents get their teens a cell phone once they begin driving so that they can call in case their car breaks down or any other emergency. That doesn't mean that they need to use their cell phone while they are actually driving though.

Driving and talking on a cell phone is a major distraction and possible cause of car crashes.

In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has conducted research that found that 'drivers who use a wireless telephone while driving can lose situational awareness and experience "inattention blindness," suggesting that the cognitive effects, as well as the physical demands of handheld telephone use are dangerous.'

And since, according to National Transportation Safety Board statistics:

• motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for 15 to 20 year olds
• almost 64,000 youth aged 15 through 20 died in traffic crashes from 1994 through 2003, about 122 each week
• in 2003, 3,657 drivers 15 to 20 years old were killed, and an additional 300,000 15 to 20 year olds were injured in motor vehicle crashes.
• in 2003, 7,884 15 to 20 year old drivers were involved in fatal crashes resulting in 9,088 total fatalities
• the risk of a crash involving a teenage driver increases with each additional teen passenger in the vehicle
• young drivers do only 20 percent of their driving at night, but over half the crash fatalities of adolescent drivers occur during nighttime hours

the NTSB is calling for:

• graduated driver licensing laws, including nighttime driving restrictions
• comprehensive underage drinking and driving or "Age 21" laws
• restrictions on the number of teen passengers traveling with young novice drivers
• restrictions on the use of cell phones and other wireless communications devices by young novice drivers while they are learning to drive

You can view the National Transportation Safety Board Most Wanted Transportation Safety Improvements State Issues list to see if your state has followed NSTB recommendations to make your streets safer for young drivers.