Motor vehicle crashes leading cause of death for distracted U.S. teens

MANATEE -- While crash numbers have dropped over the past 20 years, teens continue to have the highest crash rate of any age group in the country.

A number of factors contribute to this, but distractions play a heavier role than anything else according to a comprehensive study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Using unprecedented video analysis, the study found distraction a factor in nearly six of 10 moderate-to-severe teen crashes (58 percent), which is four times as many as official estimates based on police reports (14 percent).

The most common forms of distraction leading up to a crash by a teen driver include:

Interacting with one or more passengers, 15 percent;

Cell phone use, 12 percent;

Looking at something in the vehicle, 10 percent;

Looking at something outside the vehicle, 9 percent;

Singing/moving to music, 8 percent;

Grooming: 6 percent; and

Reaching for an object: 6 percent.

"Teen Driver Safety Week is a great time to remind everyone about the risks teenagers face when they are learning to drive," said Amy Stracke, managing director of traffic safety for AAA-The Auto Club Group and executive director of the ACG Traffic Safety Foundation. "

Parents play a critical role in preventing distracted driving and helping their teens to be as safe as possible behind the wheel.

AAA recommends parents teach teens about the dangers of cell phone use and restrict passengers allowed to ride with them when they are learning to drive.

"It is no surprise that teen drivers have fewer crashes when their parents proactively participate in the learning-to-drive process," said Matt Nasworthy, traffic safety consultant for AAA-The Auto Club Group. "As a father of two teen drivers, I know that my level of involvement has a huge impact on how safe they are behind the wheel."

This story was originally published October 15, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline " Motor vehicle crashes leading cause of death for distracted U.S. teens ."