By Kayla DeKraker
We all know spending too much time on our phones can harm our health, but doing so while driving takes it to a deadly level of danger.
This issue is especially prevalent among teens, who scroll their phones while driving, despite the risks.
A recent study found that, while driving, teens are, on average, looking at their phones 21% of the time. This means teens are fully distracted one out of every five minutes they are behind the wheel.
What is even more upsetting is that most of the phone use had nothing to do with navigating their trip. Sixty-five percent of behind-the-wheel phone use consists of entertainment, such as scrolling through social media or watching videos. Texting made up 40% of phone use, and only 30% had anything to do with navigation.
Parents need to address the dangers posed by driving distracted with their teens.
Since 2023, 3,275 people have been killed as a result of distracted driving, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shared. This does not include the thousands of crashes and injuries that have occurred as a result of distracted driving.
The Federal Communications Commission noted that “Eight percent of fatal crashes, 12 percent of injury crashes, and 11 percent of all police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes were reported as ‘affected by distracted driving,’” and “At least 621 pedestrians, pedal cyclists, and others who were not inside a vehicle were killed in distracted driving crashes.” The FCC also note that in 2022 alone, nearly 290,000 people were injured by distracted collisions.
“Here at UC Davis Medical Center, we treat over 300 young drivers every year who were injured in preventable crashes,” said UC Davis Injury Prevention Specialist Jennifer Rubin. “The injuries we treat are often severe with life-long consequences like brain injury, paralysis, chronic pain, even death. Again, the sad part is that these injuries could have been prevented.”
The NHTSA encourages teens to “speak up when they see a friend driving while distracted, [and] to have their friends sign a pledge to never drive distracted.”
But part of prevention also means parents must set a good example for their kids.
“Teens whose parents drive distracted are 2-4 times more likely to drive distracted,” End Distracted Driving posted on Instagram.
Related: Parents Should Stop Texting Their Children at School, Experts Say
“Distraction is a choice,” End Distracted Driving said in another post. “It only takes a second of distraction to change a life forever. Whether you’re behind the wheel or riding along, your focus matters. Let’s make distraction-free driving the norm.”
Parents and teens alike should commit to putting phones down while behind the wheel. No amount of distracted driving is worth the risks.
Read Next: ‘It Is Toxic’: Gen Z Leave Major Social Media Platforms
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