Scary scanning results: Teenager drivers often look at their phones

A new study reveals that teenager in the United States spend more than five time to lead them by their phones, with many looks that last enough to increase the risk of infection. The research was published in the traffic injuries to prevent and issued on Thursday, and the research found that on average, adolescents reported to look at their phones during 21.1 % of each driving trip. More than a quarter of these deviations lasted two seconds or more, which is the extensively recognized time as dangerous in highway speeds.

Most deviations are related to entertainment, not emergency

The supreme reasons are adolescents that they had reached their phones behind the wheel of the steering wheel, which was martyred by 65 % of the respondents. Textual messages (40 %) and navigation (30 %) were also common. The researchers emphasized that these deviations were not urgent, but usual or social.

Teenagers know risks

The study includes a scanning responses of 1,126 teenage drivers in all four American regions, along with in -depth interviews with a smaller group of secondary schools. Most of the participants realized that the dispersed leadership was unsafe and believed that their parents and their peers had rejected behavior.

But many adolescents also assumed that their friends were doing it anyway, noting a separation between personal values ​​and visible social standards.

Adolescents believe that they can resist deviations

Interestingly, most teenagers expressed their confidence in their ability to resist deviations. This belief, researchers suggests, can make it difficult to change behavior unless future safety campaigns target these positions specifically.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Rebecca Robbins of Boston Brigham and Women Hospital, said that interventions should be aimed at changing social standards while also emphasizing practical steps, such as enabling “non -inconvenience” and physically separated drivers from their devices.

“The dispersed leadership is a serious threat to public health, especially with regard to young drivers.” “The driving that distracts its attention does not expose the driver to the risk of injury or death, but everyone is exposed to the road at the risk of an accident.”

What does this mean for parents and teachers

The researchers say that their findings can help direct teachers and parents to develop more persuasive messages about the risks of dispersed leadership. One of the recommendations is that adults need to face teenage beliefs that using the phone while driving is fruitful or harmless.

While the qualitative ingredient of the study was limited with a small and urban sample, the authors believe that the 38 questions that they developed can be used on a broader scale to assess beliefs, behaviors and the effectiveness of future safety efforts.