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Somebody’s Watching You

  • Selina Barker
  • Apr 30
  • 3 min read
Vehicle dashboard infotainment system showing call display with home, mom and dad
Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash 

In 2023, 3,275 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. This April, across the United States, campaigns for Distracted Driving Awareness Month urged drivers to focus on the road at all times. Anything that takes your hands off the wheel, eyes off the road, or mind off driving is a deadly distraction.


Even though Distracted Driving Awareness Month is over, choosing not to become distracted is still of vital importance every day, especially when you consider who may be watching. Earlier this month, the U.S. National Distracted Driving Coalition and the Traffic Injury Research Foundation published a study on youth distracted driving that found teens drive distracted despite knowing the dangers, and are most influenced by seeing their parents text and drive.


Unfortunately, survey respondents disclosed that 83% of their role models used their smart device at least sometimes while driving.

Teens Drive Distracted


The Youth Distracted Driving Survey found that young people are aware of the risks of distracted driving yet still drive while distracted. Of the 1,124 respondents aged 14 to 20, 35% admitted to having used or interacted with their device while driving in the past 30 days. Of these, about half said they texted while driving at least a few days a week or more, and more than a quarter said they did so every day or almost every day. Even more concerning is the fact that 79% of the teens surveyed did not have a full license yet: approximately half had learner permits, 31% had an intermediate license, and only 19% had a full license.


Robyn Robertson, chair of the National Distracted Driving Coalition and Secretary of the Board at the Traffic Injury Research Foundation made the following statement regarding teen distracted driving:


Teens aged 16 to 19 have a higher crash risk than any other age group of drivers…Inexperience can lead teens to overestimate their driving abilities and think nothing bad could happen. Unfortunately, this isn’t the reality and in fact, road crashes are a leading cause of death for young people.

Teens Know Better


The teens surveyed seemed well aware of the risks of using devices behind the wheel. They ranked texting, social media use, taking selfies, handheld phone use, and reaching for the phone while driving as the most dangerous behind-the-wheel activities. They ranked other distractions, such as personal grooming, as less dangerous. The researchers noted that these results indicate a need for more messaging around the dangers of being distracted by any activity behind the wheel, not just devices, but personal grooming, eating, drinking, and even holding conversations.


Despite understanding the dangers of distracted driving and avoiding other types of risky behaviour, approximately half of respondents reported they were confident or very confident in their ability to drive safely while using a smartphone. Many teens felt that their familiarity with their phones allowed them to multitask effectively. These findings suggest that teens simultaneously overestimate their own abilities and underestimate the dangers of becoming distracted behind the wheel.

 

Setting an Example


The surveyed teens reported that their parents and peers had the greatest influence on their driving behaviour. When we drive distracted, we not only risk our own lives and the lives of those around us on the road, but we contribute to the normalization of distracted driving and influence those around us to make the same irresponsible choices. It is vital to remember that we are all examples to our friends and family members, and when we engage in dangerous behaviour, we are telling them that it is ok. Even though Distracted Driving Awareness Month has come to a close, choosing not to drive while distracted is a choice everyone must make every time they get behind the wheel.

 



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