A new study found that while 27% of teens admitted to texting on their phones while driving, an alarming 68%--two out of three teenage respondents—admitted to using apps while behind the wheel. The results of the study highly suggest that app usage while driving is the latest driving danger facing teen motorists.
The study, conducted by
Liberty Mutual Insurance and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), sought to identify from among the possible distractions teenage drivers face which has the most potential for risk.
When asked to rank the driving behaviors they perceived to be most dangerous, the survey’s participants ranked “looking at or posting to social media apps” much lower than “texting and driving” or “driving under the influence.”
Researchers who conducted the study also used implicit association testing (IAT) to measure participants’ unconscious bias. The testing method provided the teenage respondents with a range of carious driving scenarios (i.e. texting while driving, using apps, and receiving phone calls) along with a set of key words (i.e. “distracting,” “safe,” “fun”). The speed with which teens associated each scenario with the key words was used to reveal their more automatic reactions and feelings.
The IAT testing revealed a disjunction between what the teen participants explicitly said prior to the tests versus how they felt during testing. Despite 95% of the teens acknowledging app usage as a danger while driving, IAT testing found that 80% of teens basically viewed app use while behind the wheel as “not distracting.”
“This research identifies teens’ underlying beliefs about key driving habits, providing insight into what teens really believe,” said SADD senior advisor on adolescent psychiatry and Executive Director of The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital Dr. Gene Beresin.
“Teens as a whole are saying all the right things, but implicitly believe that using their phone while driving is safe and not a stressor or distraction behind the wheel.”
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