Teen drivers spend 21% of the time looking at their phones

A alarming new study has found that som teen drivers in the US spend as much as 21% of their time at the wheel looking at their phones, creating a substantial risk of distracted driving crashes.

While much of this was brief glances, more than 5% of driving time comprised looking at their phone for 2+ seconds a time, long enough to qualify as dangerous …

CNET reports that the teens did this despite understanding the risks they are taking.

The explanation for this disconnect is normalization of the behavior, with most teens saying their friends do it.

While 30% of the screen time was for navigation, this was actually a smaller percentage than messaging (40%) and using entertainment apps (65%).

Apple has taken a number of measures to reduce this risk, including a “Do Not Disturb while driving” feature first introduced in iOS 11. A study by an insurance company found that 70% of iPhone owners used this feature.

However, teens don’t seem to have got the memo.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Rebecca Robbins of Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said interventions should aim to shift social norms while also emphasizing practical steps, such as enabling “Do Not Disturb” mode and physically separating drivers from their devices.

“Distracted driving is a serious public health threat and particularly concerning among young drivers,” Robbins said. “Driving distracted doesn’t just put the driver at risk of injury or death, it puts everyone else on the road in danger of an accident.” 

Distracted driving resulting from smartphone use has been responsible for some truly horrendous crashes, with innocent victims killed and seriously injured, and the drivers responsible serving lengthy prison sentences.

If you’re a parent of teen drivers, you might want to show them the videos below to help them understand the enormous risks involved. The final one of the three is particularly hard-hitting.

Image: Framegrab from NHTSA safety video