Skip to main content

While driving risk for young

New research from the US shows that texting while driving has become a major cause of deaths and injuries amongst youngsters in the US. Using smartphones for texting or accessing the internet while at the wheel is the biggest single cause of death for teenagers in the US according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The report says that in spite of 45 US states having banned drivers from sending texts or emails while at the wheel, up to 660,000/hour are using smartphones
December 15, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
New research from the US shows that texting while driving has become a major cause of deaths and injuries amongst youngsters in the US. Using smartphones for texting or accessing the internet while at the wheel is the biggest single cause of death for teenagers in the US according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The report says that in spite of 45 US states having banned drivers from sending texts or emails while at the wheel, up to 660,000/hour are using smartphones while driving.

According to the NHTSA, texting while driving is six times more dangerous than driving while under the influence of alcohol. Yet drivers are still taking this risk. A recent study showed that up to 70% of US drivers are using smartphones while at the wheel, with 61% sending texts and 33% using email.

Related Content

  • Driver distraction is a road safety risk
    September 12, 2019
    Driver distraction is an increasing concern for the road safety sector. According to the FIA Region 2 (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile), a distraction time of just two seconds is sufficient to cause a crash. The FIA’s data suggests that to 25% of road crashes are due to distraction, with 25-30% of total driving time spent on distracting activities. Commissioner Bulc, European Commissioner for Transport, recently warned against distraction caused by the use of mobile phone. She said, “Distraction
  • Concern at high US crashes
    September 30, 2020
    There is concern at the high US road crash rate.
  • French 18-25 year olds underestimate driving style-linked dangers, study shows
    May 2, 2014
    According to a TNS Sofres study on driving styles for Axa, the frequency of driving and the kilometres travelled annually by France’s 18 to 25 year olds are higher than the national average. The study, which focuses on 350 young drivers in this demographic in addition to 1,200 other drivers, shows that they underestimate the dangers of using smartphones while driving. The study also showed that 62% of 18 to 25 year olds drive when they are tired.
  • DUI strategies around the world
    December 11, 2017
    New strategies in several developed countries are being introduced in strategies to try to reduce the incidences of driving under the influence. The Pan-European police group, Tispol, reports that In the Netherlands, officers will commence road-side saliva tests to catch drug driving offenders. Early results since the programme launched in July have been described as ‘the tip of the iceberg’. Like other countries, the Netherlands already had laws against drug driving, but enforcement was based on