Distracted Driving Can Change Your Teen’s Life

Drivers in Illinois who have been on the roads for a while understand exactly how dangerous even a simple trip can be. Unfortunately, younger drivers are not as experienced and may not have the skills necessary to handle the scope of the dangers they run into. Take a look at distracted driving behaviors and how they can impact your teen.

Who Is at Risk?

While anyone can engage in distracted driving behaviors, studies have shown that younger age groups are more prone to doing so. This includes anyone from their teens to their early or even mid-twenties. Why is that, exactly? Speculation ranges from teens being more susceptible to peer pressure to younger drivers simply having more access to distractions, such as having more handheld electronics on their person.

Additionally, distracted driving is not often treated as a “serious problem” among younger drivers. Seeing friends get away with driving distracted and be fine may encourage other drivers to try the same things, expecting no repercussions. Finally, younger drivers have the least amount of personal experience compared to anyone else on the road. This leaves them less capable of reacting to the dangers that older, more experienced drivers may have been able to avoid.

How Can We Stop Distracted Driving?

There are many different ways motorists are tackling the increasingly prominent problem of driving while distracted. For example, numerous official organized campaigns have the goal of bringing more national attention to the harms of distracted driving. They tend to focus on the high fatality numbers associated with distracted driving crashes and target younger age groups, as these are the groups most likely do experience said fatal crashes.

Additionally, laws are being made to help control all forms of distracted driving and not just those that involve electronics. Some states have passed laws preventing people to eat or drink non-alcoholic beverages while behind the wheel, as an example, and others are considering taking similar measures.