Results from a recent NHTSA-conducted survey on driver distraction show that young adults are the least likely passengers to say something to a driver if the driver were texting or talking on a cell phone.
About one-third of passengers between the ages of 18 and 24 would say something to a driver who was talking on a handheld phone, according to the first nationally representative telephone survey that polled more than 6,000 drivers to assess the public’s attitudes, knowledge and self-reported behavior related to cell phones. However, that’s a small number compared to about half of drivers 65 and older who reported they would say something to a distracted driver.
As drivers, people between the age of 18 and 20 report the highest level of phone involvement in crash or near-crash incidences. And compared to drivers 25 and older, they are nearly three times as likely to report having been reading or sending a text or email during an incident, according to the report.
Overall, the report found that texting while driving drop sharply as age increases.
“Distracted driving is an epidemic on our roadways, and these new findings show that our youngest drivers are particularly at risk,” said U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who launched a new contest for teens to design an original icon with an anti-distracted driving message to be used in the DOT’s distracted driving campaign. Submissions will be accepted between April 16 and July 31.
The icon and message will be shared on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and other social networking sites. Department officials hope the icon will serve as a communication tool among young drivers struggling to speak up to others about the dangers of distracted driving.
