® © 2013 National Safety Council Safe Teen Driving Distractions Support for this project was provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, under contract number M

© 2013 National Safety Council 2 Risk Motor vehicle crashes are the #1 cause of death among teens in the U.S. Teens are at substantially higher risk of crash than older drivers Research shows teens lack experience, judgement, and maturity to assess risky situations

© 2013 National Safety Council 3 Distractions Distracted driving is considered driving while anything takes your attention away from the task of driving, inside or outside of the vehicle Distractions increase a teen’s risk of being in a crash

© 2013 National Safety Council 4 Distractions Cell phone use: talking, texting, apps Adjusting the radio Eating Grooming Reading Young passengers

© 2013 National Safety Council 5 Young Passengers Research shows that young passengers increase the risk of fatal crashes for teen drivers Each additional passenger adds to the risk

© 2013 National Safety Council 6 Young Passengers Teen drivers may overestimate their driving abilities Young passengers may influence risk- taking behaviors Attention and decision-making can be affected with young passengers present

© 2013 National Safety Council 7 Cell Phone Use Many young drivers incorrectly believe talking on a cell phone makes no difference on their driving but texting or does Talking on hand-held or hands-free devices are both crash risks Drivers have slower reaction times and can miss seeing up to half the information in the roadway

© 2013 National Safety Council 8 Cell Phone Use 73% of drivers this age reported texting while driving Young drivers 18 to 20 years old report highest level of phone involvement at the time of crash or near-crash

© 2013 National Safety Council 9 Recommendations Parents can help by role modeling safe driving behavior every time they drive Complete a parent-teen driving agreement that sets driving limits and consequences Enforce the agreement

© 2013 National Safety Council 10 Additional Recommendations Don’t do anything, but drive. Put away phones and limit passengers Remind your teen to follow speed limits & adjust for weather/ traffic conditions Remind your teen to maintain safe distances from vehicles around them Emphasize the importance of scanning

© 2013 National Safety Council 11 Additional Resources Support for this project was provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, under contract number M

© 2013 National Safety Council 12 Who is NSC? Our Mission: The National Safety Council saves lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the roads through leadership, research, education and advocacy.