This week is National Teen Driver Safety Week. A new State Farm Insurance survey talked to drivers, ages 16-19, and found that while 90% say they know texting can distract them behind the wheel, 44% still do it. As for what things might stop them from looking at their phones behind the wheel, 51% said concerns about crashing, followed by getting caught by police (50%) and arriving safely at their destination (33%).
Other things that may motivate them to stop driving and texting include:
- Knowing someone who crashed while texting (23%)
- Stories about texting crashes (17%)
- Getting caught by parents (13%)
- Friends encouraging safe driving (10%)
Of course, texting isn’t the only thing distracting your teen behind the wheel. In fact, one of the biggest distractions according to teens themselves is talking with other passengers (94%), followed by listening to a GPS (79%), and searching for music (73%). Other distractions include:
- Accessing the Internet on their phone (36%)
- Reading social media (29%)
- Taking pictures (27%)
Not that all the results of the study were totally awful. 67% of teens say they’re more likely to use their cellphone when stopped at a red light rather than driving, which still isn’t good, but it’s at least a little better. Meanwhile, three quarters of teens say they wouldn’t use their phones when an adult was in the car with them, but that number goes down to 58% if it’s another teen in the car. Finally, two thirds of drivers say they are “a lot less likely” to use their phones when driving in bad weather.
Source: State Farm
Local news matters.
Wadsworth Community Radio 97.1 FM is a nonprofit, community-powered radio station sharing the stories, voices and updates that keep Wadsworth connected.
A gift of just $5 helps keep local coverage on the air and supports the work we do every day for this community.
Support Wadsworth Community Radio
Follow us on Facebook for more local stories, updates and community coverage: Wadsworth Community Radio on Facebook
