No parent wants to wake up to a phone call in the middle of the night. Often those calls mean bad news. And with teenagers exhibiting dangerous behaviors now more than ever out on the road, more parents may be getting those horrific calls. It was reported by the Institute for Highway Safety that 11 teenagers die every day because of texting and driving. All in all, motor vehicle homicide is the number one cause of death for teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19.
But those aren’t the only disturbing statistics. In addition, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study from 2011 concluded that nearly half of teen drivers 16 and over admitted that they text and drive. Those that did so were also 5 times more likely to drink and drive, and were much less likely to buckle up.
Teens killed because of texting and driving has just surpassed the number of teens being killed because of drunk driving. Perhaps that is because texting and driving is just as dangerous as driving after consuming four beers. Additionally, you are 23 times more likely to crash if texting and driving, says the National highway Transportation Safety Administration.
Experts are saying that this problem is obviously huge and we should be worried. Teens have poor impulse control and like to participate in activities that are high risk. If you have a teen, it is important that you strongly encourage them to store their phones out of sight when driving to lessen their chances of being distracted.