Distracted driving is dangerous for everyone. The age group already with the highest risks for car accidents in Fort Lauderdale and elsewhere — teenagers — is more likely to engage in distractions behind the wheel.
Go figure! A recent study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety discovered which of these teen drivers were most likely to compromise roadway safety and which were likely to engage in distractions behind the wheel. It was the girls. Female teen drivers were twice as likely to use portable electronic devices at the wheel as male teen drivers.
According to Market Wire, the AAA study looked at the driving habits of 50 families with teen drivers in North Carolina. After combing through about 8,000 video clips from in-car camera systems, it was concluded that females were distracted behind the wheel more than the male teens. They were distracted about 5 percent more of the time.
Our Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyers understand that more than electronic devices were contributing the driver distractions. Drivers were also witnessed eating, drinking, playing with controls, talking with passengers and much more. All of these actions take driver attention off of the roadway, if even for a moment. It’s those moments that can mean the difference between life and death.
“This new study provides the best view we’ve had about how and when teens engage in distracted driving behaviors believed to contribute to making car crashes the leading cause of death,” said AAA President and CEO Peter Kissinger.
This was the first study to use in-car video to examine teenage distracted driving habits. Previous studies involving distracted driving measured braking habits, swerving, acceleration, g-force measurements, etc. Those studies looked at the results of distracted driving as opposed to which drivers were guilty of all this distracted driving in the first place.
The findings of the study concluded that electronic devices are the number one cause of distractions for these young drivers. Aside from electronics, the most common distractions were grooming, eating, drinking, playing with controls and talking to passengers. Female teens were more likely to engage in all of these distractions except for talking with people outside of the car and turning around in the driver’s seat.
Older teen drivers were witnessed engaging in more acts of distracted driving than younger drivers. Researchers believe that this is because as the teens got more comfortable behind the wheel, they feel like they are less influenced by distractions and are able to keep their attention on the road simultaneously. That’s not true though. Taking your eyes of the road for even a second can cause a fatal accident before you even know it.
If you or the teen driver in your family has been injured in a car accident in Fort Lauderdale or in any of the surrounding areas, the Broward personal injury attorneys at Freeman & Mallard are here to help you understand your rights and are ready to fight for the compensation that you deserve. Call today to schedule up a free and confidential review of your case. Call 1-800-561-7777.
More Blog Entries:
Risks for Car Accidents in Wilton Manors and Elsewhere Increased with Florida’s Legislative Neglect, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, March 21, 2012
Unrested Drivers Causing Car Accidents in Deerfield Beach and Elsewhere despite New Technology, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, March 20, 2012