Toll Free: 1.800.4.Accident | Local: 206.727.4000
Get Help Now
Contact us today for a free, no obligation consultation about your personal injury legal needs. Call 206-727-4000 or fill out the form below.
Teens Still Engaging In Distracted Driving | Seattle Injury Lawyer
Posted on Aug 03, 2010
A new survey done by Seventeen magazine and auto club AAA has found that nearly nine in ten teenage drivers engage in distracted-driving behaviors, such as texting or talking on their cellphone.
Most of them are aware that their actions increase their risk of crashing, yet they still engage in such behavior. The survey highlights the nation's efforts to stop texting while driving, especially among younger drivers.
The survey was conducted online and assessed 1,999 teenagers, ages 16-19. The May survery was made public earlier today and found that 84% of these teens were aware that distracted-driving behaviors increase their risk of crashing. 86% admitted that they had engaged in those behaviors.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 6,000 highway deaths each year involve distracted driving. This has prompted the nation's crackdown on distracted driving, which focuses on educating young drivers about the dangers of such distractions.
Eleven states so far have enacted bans on texting while driving this year. 30 states have passed such prohibitions for all drivers.
Cheyenne Tontegode was, 18, was a passenger in a car accident caused by texting while driving. Both her and the driver were texting when Tontegode looked up and noticed that they had started drifting into the other lane. They crashed head-on into an SUV.
Tontegode was not wearing a seat belt during the time of the crash and was in the hospital for 10 days. One of her legs was cracked in 14 places, and she had broked ribs and glass in her eye. Her friend, the driver, was hospitalized for 14 days.
Tontegode said she was aware of the dangers of texting well driving well before the crash. "Well, yeah. Ofcourse you hear it. You hear it all the time from adults," she stated. "But people don't think about it until it happens to them, unless they get the message from another teen. If it happens to another teen, then I think they listen."
The survey shows that texting while driving is not the only problem causing distracted driving among teens. The top three behaviors that participants had engaged in include; 73% adjusting a radio/CD/MP3 player, 61% eating and 60% talking on a cell phone; 28% had sent a text message while driving.
Davis Law Group and attorney Chris Davis has been featured in news reports on these local and national news sources:
2101 Fourth Avenue, Suite 630, Seattle, WA 98121
Phone: (206) 727-4000 Fax: (206) 727-4001
Toll Free: 1-866-595-3565
Testimonials
- "Chris Davis will really take care of you."
- "I couldn't be more happy...with Davis Law Group"
- Smart people, know their stuff, trustworthy.
- "Chris Davis is one of this nation’s premiere personal injury/accident lawyers...Chris is the real deal."
