Top Teen Driving Distractions
Distractions while driving are temptations that all drivers face. Teens, as inexperienced drivers, may be more susceptible to distractions, and more likely to be involved in an accident because of them. Focus on the road and attention to detail is necessary for teens to develop critical safe driving skills, and distracted driving is extremely dangerous for them.
When a teen driver pays attention to other stimuli that takes away his or her concentration on the task of driving, the likelihood of mistakes rises exponentially. Read on for more information about teen driving distractions.
Common Teen Driving Distractions
There are many dangers on the road with which young drivers must contend. Unnecessary distractions challenge teen drivers’ focus and increase the possibility of judgment errors while driving.
The following stimuli can be dangerous teen driving distractions.
- Cell phones: There is a national safety crisis surrounding the use of cell phones in the car. Teens who text, talk or otherwise use their phones while driving are not only dividing their attention among multiple factors, but are taking their eyes off the road.
- This is unsafe behavior for any driver or any age. Teaching teens to never text and drive is a challenge that the entire nation is facing, and parents and educators need to be on board with this message.
- Passengers: How often have you passed a car full of teenagers? It is common for teenagers to travel in groups, and it is not unusual for a group of several teens to get in a car together. While in ordinary circumstances a car full of seat-belted, quiet passengers would not pose a problem with concentration, a group of loud, talkative and excited young people can cause distractions for the driver.
- Music: MP3 players, iPods and music on cell phones are all an important part of many teens’ lifestyles. If a teen driver is busy looking for music on an electronic device while driving, his or her attention is pulled away from the road.
- Other distractions: Activity in other cars, objects or people on the side of the road or other items of interest can also be dangerous teen driving distractions. Teaching teens to concentrate on staying on the road, obeying traffic signals and being aware of their surroundings while driving is imperative to keeping them safe from distractions.
Consequences of Teen Driving Distractions
The following reactions are typical consequences of distracted driving among both teen and adult drivers.
- Swerving: Drivers, when trying to compensate for their loss of focus on the road, may swerve into other lanes as they overreact to the situation, causing a collision with another car or object.
- Excessive braking: When presented with a potential collision situation, a driver may overreact by slamming on the brakes, causing a skid situation and loss of control of the vehicle or a rear-end collision with the car following or in front of him or her.
- Run off the road: A lane departure accident, run off the road collisions occur when the driver leaves his or her lane and hits an object on the side of the road. Swerving, over-braking or lack of attention can cause a driver to make this type of error.
If in an Accident, Help is Available
If you or a loved one has been in an accident – including those related to teen distracted driving – you may be overwhelmed with the consequences of that accident. Rob Levine and Associates can help handle the various aspects of your case, including exploring options to recover compensation, proving fault, and establishing damages, so contact us at 800-LAW-1222 to set up a free consultation.
