8 in 10 Teens Admit Distracted Driving Risks, But Continue

Online, August 10, 2010 (Newswire.com) - The vast majority of teens say they engage in distracted behavior behind the wheel despite the fact they say they understand that such behavior is dangerous.

Those are the chilling results of a new survey by Seventeen Magazine and automobile club AAA and featured in the September issue of Seventeen.

The online survey of 1,999 teens ages 16-19, conducted in May, found that 84 percent were aware that distracted-driving behaviors increase their crash risk; yet 86 percent have engaged in those behaviors, including texting and talking on cell phones, eating, adjusting radios, driving with four or more passengers and applying makeup.

Teens give a variety of reasons for engaging in dangerous behavior behind the wheel. They include: 41 percent thought their actions would only take a split second; 35 percent thought they would not get hurt; 34 percent said they were used to multitasking; and 32 percent thought nothing bad would happen to them.

According to the AAA, taking your eyes off the road doubles your chances of getting into a car crash.

More than one-third of teens surveyed (36 percent) said they had been involved in a near-crash because of their own or someone else's distracted driving. Even as passengers, teen drivers worry about distracted driving. Nearly 4 of 10 surveyed (38 percent) said they were afraid of getting hurt when they were a passenger of a distracted driver.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, of the more than 16,000 teenagers who die in the United States each year, 50 percent are killed in automobile accidents.

"For the most part, these are preventable deaths," says Houston car accident lawyer Jim S. Adler, who has closely followed the issue of distracted driving. "The AAA survey results suggest that many teens excuse distracted driving because they are 'used to multi-tasking.' Parents, teachers, legislators and law enforcement must educate our teens that no one should multi-task behind the wheel. The message is simple: Hang up and drive," he said.