Got Chocolate?
Teens, Driving & Cell Phones
by Chad D. Yoder, Personal Lines Manager

Whether it’s the Razor, Sidekick, iPhone, or Verizon’s Chocolate, cell phones have become as common as shirts and shoes with teenagers across America.

My daughter, who recently turned 16, swore that she was the only person at school that didn’t have one. “What if I need to get a hold of you from school?” she said.

My response: “Use the pay phone by the cafeteria, like I did when I was your age.”

Her response was a bit unexpected: “Dad, they took that phone away years ago.”

My point is that my wife and I tried to avoid the cell phone issue as long as we could, until last Christmas when we finally gave in to peer, I mean daughter pressure.

The Facts About Teens, Driving, and Cell Phones
My reason for telling this story is to share a concern about the use of cell phones by teenage drivers, which will very soon include my daughter.

Some argue that handsfree cell phone usage is less distracting, but the truth is any cell phone use has the potential of distracting drivers of all ages. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has conducted research finding drivers who use a wireless telephone while driving can lose situational awareness and experience "inattention blindness.” This suggests that the cognitive effects are just as dangerous as the physical demands of handheld telephone use, especially for inexperienced drivers.

So What’s the Solution?
It is critical that parents set realistic parameters for their teenage driver and their use of cell phones. Teenage drivers are statistically more likely to have an accident than drivers with at least three years experience. The addition of just one passenger more than doubles the likelihood of an accident. Add a third passenger or the use of a radio or cell phone, the statistics more than quadruple. Any potential distraction can increase the likelihood of an inexperienced driver having an accident.

Text Messaging to Blame in Teen's Car Wreck
I am haunted by a recent story of five teenage girls in New York who were killed in a car accident when the driver of their vehicle was sending a text message to a second vehicle. Their vehicle veered off the road and hit a tractor-trailer head-on killing all five instantly. As good as teenagers are at texting, it is yet another distraction increasing the odds of having a car accident.

As our teenagers are given the responsibility of driving and the privileges that come with this newfound freedom, let’s not let them forget the importance of practicing responsible driving habits. This will keep your insurance costs low and more importantly, your teenager safe to drive another day.

FIFS Connection, Fall 2007, Vol.4, No. 4

Read more about auto insurance.

Contact Chad Yoder, Producer/Manager