Distracted Driving Teen Drivers

Summertime means school is out for the year, and teenagers take the streets to enjoy this newfound freedom. But it is not all fun and games. A recent article in HealthDay reports that summertime is the “most dangerous time of the year for teenage drivers, and the biggest cause of this is the high percentage of teen drivers” who are distractedly driving behind the wheel. In fact, the article states, “seven of the 10 deadliest days for teen drivers occur between Memorial Day and Labor Day.”

Distracted driving is an issue that impacts every driver on American roads. As cell phones, car televisions, tablets, and other devices continue to become more and more ubiquitous, so do the number of drivers distracted by them. Ten percent of all motor vehicle accidents in 2011 alone involved distracted rivers, and 11 percent of all drivers under the age of 20 who experienced a deadly crash were distracted during the occurrence of the incident, reports HealthDay.

And no one wants to admit that he or she could be distracted behind the wheel while engaged in such mundane activity. Yet drivers who claim that they are not taking their eyes off the road just to send a text are likely mistaken. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) stated to HealthDay that a driver, engaged in sending texts or receiving texts, will take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. At 44 miles per hour, the DOT concludes, this is like driving the entire length of a football field blind.

Drivers who reach for something, like rooting around in the passenger seat, are three times more likely to get into an accident while drivers who are texting are 23 times more likely to crash.

To help combat the influx of teen driver crashes this summer, the AAOS has released the Decide to Drive campaign, and a “Wreck-less Checklist.” This includes pre-loading mp3 players, moving reading materials out of arm’s reach, and entering a destination into a navigation system.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a distracted driving accident in which you were not at fault, you may be eligible for compensation. Contact Salvi & Maher, LLP today.