Programs Aim to Keep Teens Focused on the Road

Training young drivers to avoid distractions may be the best way to protect them when you are not along for the ride, according to safety experts.

“Teens have the highest crash risk of any age group, and research confirms that distraction is often a factor,” said Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Association. “Eliminating distraction caused by electronic devices and passengers, two of the main culprits for novice drivers, is essential.”

The Governor’s Highway Safety Association, a nationwide coalition of non-profit safety advocates, recently commissioned a report on distracted driving with State Farm.

Called “Distracted & Dangerous: Helping States Keep Teens Focused on the Road,” the report reviews local and national programs aimed at both encouraging safe driving and punishing poor habits.

"When it comes to distracted driving, we are particularly concerned about young drivers," said Chris Mullen, Director of Technology Research at State Farm. "Inexperience behind the wheel, combined with the many distractions teens encounter, can have serious consequences."

Adkins echoed the sentiment, saying young drivers tend not to recognize their friends or portable electronics as distracting. He said experience informs their opinions.

“As they become more confident in their driving skills, their attitudes about talking and texting while driving, as well as transporting passengers, changes."

States from coast to coast have used both the carrot and the stick to discourage motorists from texting and driving. Police routinely patrol the roadways looking for distracted drivers and safety advocates frequently post messages along highways and on billboards to discourage such behavior.

The following states have initiated programs to discourage or punish distracted driving:

• New York has passed the nation's toughest penalties for distracted driving. As of November 1, the penalty for those younger than 21 will be a 120-day license suspension for the first offense and a year for the second. Officials use unmarked and raised sport-utility vehicles, enabling them a better visual of drivers who are texting or engaged in other distracting behaviors.
• North Dakota is advertising through messages on Pandora, Hulu and social media platforms.
• Washington conducts a high school program where teens compete to earn a $500 grant from State Farm for the school group of their choice. The program has prompted teen-led projects in more than 230 high schools, including flash mobs, legislative rallies and construction of Memory Walls to honor victims of distracted driving.

Other approaches include simulators, peer-to-peer campaigns, phone apps, and grassroots advocacy.