A recent study looked at driving distractions among teens, and found they ranged from talking on a cell phone to changing clothes.
Younger drivers have always gotten into more accidents than those with more experience, and the invention of cell phones and text messaging has driven those numbers to historic levels, Oregon State University reported.
"Based on recent studies, anything that takes your attention away, any glance away from the road for two seconds or longer can increase the risk of an accident from four to 24 times," said David Hurwitz, an assistant professor of transportation engineering in the College of Engineering at Oregon State University, and corresponding author of the study, which was published in the Journal of Transportation Safety and Security. "This is a dramatic increase in risk, with inexperienced drivers who are least able to handle it," he said. "The absolute worst is texting on a cell phone, which is a whole group of distractions. With texting, you're doing something besides driving, thinking about something besides driving, and looking at the wrong thing."
One study even suggested texting while driving is just as dangerous as driving under the influence. The recent research found 27 percent of participants changed clothes or shoes while driving, and some even did homework. The findings also showed "hands-free" phones are not significantly safer than regular cell phones.
An analysis of 3,000 teenage drivers in Alaska, Washington, Idaho and Oregon found interactive presentations offered to young drivers in a classroom or auditorium setting raises risk awareness more effectively than passive listening. These findings highlight the need for improved methods of teaching teens about safe driving practices.
"Young people learn better when they are involved in the process, not just sitting and listening to a lecture," Hurwitz said. "We think an increase in active learning will help with this problem and can improve driver education. Students doing this can see how much better their awareness and reaction time are when they aren't distracted."
