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SALT LAKE CITY — Distracted driving is on the rise as texting and social media usage are increasing among teenage drivers, according to AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
Nationally, during the past five years more than 5,000 people have been killed in crashes involving teen drivers during the summer months. And nearly 60 percent of teen crashes involve distractions behind the wheel, the foundation said in a release Wednesday.
According to the foundation, the report is part of the most comprehensive eight-year research project ever conducted into crash videos of teen drivers. In collaboration with researchers at the University of Iowa, the AAA Foundation analyzed the moments leading up to a crash in more than 2,200 videos captured from in-car dash cameras. The latest report compared new crash videos with those captured from 2007-12 and found consistent trends in the top three distractions for teens when behind the wheel in the moments leading up to a crash:
• Talking or attending to other passengers in the vehicle — 15% of crashes.
• Talking, texting or operating a cellphone — 12% of crashes.
• Attending to or looking at something inside the vehicle — 11% of crashes.
In Utah, between 2005 and 2014, 9.4 percent of all crashes involved distracted drivers. And in 2014, the most recent available data, teenage drivers were involved in almost 20 percent of all distracted driving crashes.
“It’s no secret that teens are extremely connected to their cellphones,” said AAA Utah spokeswoman Rolayne Fairlcough. “Many teens are texting or using social media behind the wheel more often than in the past, which is making an unsafe situation even worse.”
Over the past five years, drivers ages 15 to 19 had the highest number of distracted drivers in fatal crashes with 16. Young adults also recorded high numbers.
“Nearly two-thirds of people injured or killed in crashes involving a teen driver are people other than the teen themselves,” Fairclough said. “This shows that teen drivers can be a risk to everyone on the road, and it is important to regulate their actions when behind the wheel.”
Kim Plute of Salt Lake City said she tries to convey the dangers of distracted driving to her 16-year-old daughter, Emma.
“We’ve explained to her that you are operating a weapon essentially. This (vehicle) can kill yourself or kill other people," Plute said. “We talk about it enough for her to understand the dangers of (distracted driving). It’s truly just as bad as drinking and driving.”
She said she has threatened her daughter’s driving privileges if she is ever caught texting and driving, or if she is riding with someone who is texting or using social media.
“We have a pretty open dialogue, so if she is put in that situation, she would call me if she felt uncomfortable,” Plute said.
Jami Darnell, 42, of Farmington said her 18-year old daughter, Danica, understands the responsibility that comes with getting behind the wheel.
“She is really strict about seatbelts and is always telling me to put my phone down when driving,” Darnell said. Her daughter lost a friend who was killed in a crash three years ago, and the incident left an indelible impression on the then 15-year old.
“That was right at the time she was about to get her learner’s permit,” Darnell explained. “It really had a big impact on her.”
