Study: Teens driving their friends increase distraction

Teen drivers with peer passengers are more likely to be distracted just before a crash when compared to teens who crashed while driving alone, according to two new studies by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm.

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers, and 16 percent of all distracted driving crashes involve drivers under 20.

The first study surveyed 198 teen drivers, and found that teens who are most likely to drive with multiple passengers shared the following characteristics:

• Considered themselves "thrill-seekers."
  
• Perceived their parents as not setting rules or monitoring their whereabouts.
  
• Possessed a weak perception of the risks associated with driving in general.

The second study examined a nationally-representative sample of 677 teen drivers involved in serious vehicle crashes, and compared the likelihood of driver distraction and risk-taking behaviors prior to a crash, both with and without peer passengers.

Among teens who said they were distracted by something inside the vehicle before they crashed, 71 percent of males and 47 percent of females said they were distracted directly by the actions of their passengers.

Male teen drivers with passengers were almost six times more likely to perform an illegal maneuver and more than twice as likely to drive aggressively just before a crash, as compared to males driving alone, while female teen drivers rarely drove aggressively prior to a crash, regardless of whether they had passengers in the car.

"Teen passengers can intentionally and unintentionally encourage unsafe driving," study author and behavioral researcher Jessica Mirman, PhD, said in a statement to the press. "Because it can be difficult for new drivers to navigate the rules of the road and manage passengers, it's best to keep the number of passengers to a minimum for the first year."

For more on distracted driving see our special section Distracted driving and teen safety, as well as distraction.gov.

Previously:
Report says graduated licensing could save 2,000 teen lives, over $13 billion a year
OMG: New video warns teens of distracted driving dangers
Peer Passengers: How Do They Affect Teen Crashes? [Journal of Adolescent Health]
Teen Passengers: "The Other Distraction" for Teen Drivers [PR Newswire]

—Maggie Shader