The forgotten distraction from safe driving
There have been several laws passed to deter distracted driving in recent years, many of them related to cell phones. But a new study suggests they may not be doing what they were intended to do.
The Highway Loss Data Institute, a nonprofit organization funded by the auto insurance industry, recently took a look at monthly collision claims in four states that have banned handheld cell phone use. They examined the numbers before and after the bans took effect, and the research indicates that car collision rates didn't change significantly.
What does this finding indicate? That the root of the problem is not cell phone use, but distracted driving in general, say the experts. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving was responsible for nearly 6,000 deaths and more than half a million injuries throughout America in 2008 alone.
The majority of accidents were caused by distractions you can't pass laws to prevent. Among the most common distractions that divert drivers' attention from the road: eating and drinking, grooming, changing the radio station, CD or mp3 player and talking to friends in the car. The latter can be one of the worst distractions, as your natural tendency is to turn and face the person you're talking to, at the risk of missing a turn in the road or an upcoming traffic light and crashing.
So many accidents have been blamed on this forgotten distraction that several states have placed limits on the number of passengers who can ride in a car driven by a driver under the age of 18. Cell phone use by young drivers has been banned by many states as well.
But these safe driving practices alone won't prevent accidents. That's why it's so important for parents to engage their teen drivers in a conversation about how to stay safe on the road.
Many auto insurance companies offer resources for parents that make the job easier. Allstate, for example, has a Parent-Teen Driving Contract on its website, www.Allstate.com, that outlines teen driver responsibilities and defines consequences you agree on together if they're not met. The site also offers tips parents can use to encourage their children to make safety a priority.
Among the useful tips on the site:
* Discuss when, where, how, and with whom your teen is allowed to drive.
* Establish and enforce a curfew.
* Insist that your driver (and all passengers) wear seat belts at all times.
* Require the car to be a "no cell phone zone."
Parents can also require teenagers to pay for the privilege of driving, and point out that committing to safety will be a huge money saver in the long run. The first year a teen driver is added to the family policy, parents can expect car insurance to range anywhere from an additional $500 to $3,000. For every year the teen driver remains accident free, the rates can go down significantly.
Courtesy of ARAcontent