Topic > Texting and driving as the leading cause of teen car crashes

The numbers showing cell phone use while driving are shocking. Facts show that at any time of the day, approximately 660,000 motorists try to use their cell phones while driving and this can be attributed to a smartphone that has allowed people to easily connect at any time (Edgar Sydney & Associates). Fatty accidents among teenagers have increased over the years, mainly due to cell phone use while behind the wheel of a car. Cell phone distraction rates are alarming. Teen drivers are 4 times more likely than adults to get into car accidents or crash when texting or talking on cell phones compared to adults (Araujo, Mila). The increase in teen traffic fatalities can be attributed to many factors, the main ones being texting and driving. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Crash recorders showed that teen drivers involved in crashes, their eyes were off the road for about 4.1 seconds in the last 6 seconds before crashing. Studies from the automotive industry have concluded and suggest that the driver should not keep his eyes off the road for more than three or two seconds (Eisenstein, Paul). The study also found that in about half of the crashes, teens didn't even attempt to swerve or break into the road to get to safety. According to federal data, car crashes are among the leading causes of death among teenagers. Teens actually have higher accident rates than other groups. Federal reports showed that in 2013, 963,000 drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 were involved in police-reported crashes. The accidents resulted in 2,865 deaths and 383,000 injuries (Eisenstein, Paul). 64% of all traffic accidents that occur in the United States involve cell phones. This means that more than half of traffic accidents in the United States involve cell phones, making them the leading cause of traffic accidents in the United States. Each year, approximately 421,000 people are injured in crashes involving a distracted driver in one way or another. Each year, more than 330,000 crashes caused by texting while driving result in serious injuries. This means that over 78% of all distracted drivers are distracted from texting while driving. 1 in 4 car accidents in the United States are caused by texting and driving (Ameen, Luke). Texting and driving are actually 6 times more likely to get a person in an accident than drunk driving. This means that while it doesn't make drunk driving acceptable, it is safer to drink and drive than to text. Nearly three seconds pass after the driver's mind is taken off the road due to the occurrence of an accident. Reading a text while a person is driving distracts the driver for at least five seconds, thus increasing the chances of an accident occurring. The probability of an accident due to other reasons is 23 times greater when texting, even if the accident is caused by another driver (Ameen, Luke). It probably could have been avoided if the driver had not been distracted by his phone and had concentrated on the road. 20% of teens and 10% of adults admitted to having had an entire conversation via text while driving. 82% of American teenagers own a cell phone and 52% of them talk tophone while driving and 32% text while traveling (Ameen, Luke). During a survey, 77% of adults and 55% of teen drivers say they easily handle texting while driving. Whenever teens text and drive, they tend to veer out of lane about 10% of their entire driving time. 48% of adolescents have been involved in a car accident while driving and texting. More than 1,600 teenagers die each year due to accidents involving texting (Ameen, Luke). According to a AAA study, 60% of teen driving accidents are the result of distractions. Texting, talking and otherwise using a cell phone accounted for 12% of total incidents, while talking to a passenger accounted for 15% and while searching for something in the car accounted for 11% (Hall & Sethi). The research, which lasted about eight years, also showed that the way teenagers use cell phones has changed over the years. In accidents caused by cell phone use, it is usually the case that teenagers text or look at their cell phones instead of talking on the phone. In Virginia, eight out of ten car accidents are the result of distracted driving, and just as many because distracted driving is not just due to cell phone use, it is clear that these devices have contributed to the sharp increase in car accidents. When a person talks on the phone they are more focused on the text, thus reducing their ability to drive by approximately 40% (Hall & Sethi). The situation is even worse when texting, because the level of concentration on the road is reduced even further. A total of 11 teenagers die every day due to texting while driving. According to a survey conducted on AAA, 94% of teen drivers know the repercussions of texting while driving, while 35% admitted to texting while driving. 21% of teenagers involved in fatal crashes were distracted in some way by their cell phones. A teen driver who has an extra passenger is twice as likely to be involved in a fatal car accident and with two or more passengers the chances of being involved in a car accident are 5 times (Edgar Sydney & Associates). Federal research shows that about 11% of the total number of highway deaths are due to distracted driving. However, the AAA Foundations for Traffic Safety concluded that nearly 6 in 10 moderate to fatal crashes are caused by driver distraction. This figure is significantly higher than the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's previous estimate, which found distraction played a major role in 14 percent of total teen crashes (Edgar Sydney & Associates). According to Peter Kissinger, the AAA safety arm's president and CEO said that further analysis showed indisputable evidence that teen drivers have a much higher rate of becoming distracted and ending up in a crash than people actually believe. The study was based on the analysis of the last six seconds of data recorded shortly before an accident occurred on 1,700 on-board event recorders (Pascale, Jordan). Distraction was found to be part of 58% of overall teen crashes, including 89% of veering-off-road crashes and 76% of rear-end crashes. Further evidence according to Kissinger was gathered from videos of the accident as they offer a better understanding of the moments leading up to the accident (Eisenstein, Paul). The biggest excuse teens give for texting and driving is that the message was too important to read. ignored or have seen others do it too.