St. Louis Car Accident Lawyers Look at Common Causes of Distracted Driving Among Teens

Distracted driving has been plaguing teens and the roads of Missouri for decades, but are cellphones and loose laws the problem? The St. Louis car accident lawyers with Cofman Townsley Injury Lawyers point to a new study from the AAA Foundation that is providing answers to this question.
The group gathered more than 6,800 videos of teenage motorists operating a vehicle. Of those videos, a total of 1,700 contained images of the young drivers being involved in a crash. Fifty-eight percent of those accidents were the result of a distraction, but the causes of those distractions may be surprising.
Only 12 percent of the accidents that were recorded involved a distraction that was the result of using a cellphone or other electronic device. A majority of the collisions were the result of holding a conversation with another passenger in the vehicle. In fact, an article from KFVS 12 News highlighting the study quoted one mother as saying her children being in the car is often distracting.
So what can you do to keep yourself and your teen driver safe while behind the wheel of a vehicle? Most experts agree that talking often with your teen about the dangers distracted driving can pose is one of the best ways to make them aware of the risks. It may also be wise to sign a teen driving contract that creates rules for teen drivers regarding speeding and distractions, as well as when they can drive and how many passengers can be in the vehicle at any given time.
The St. Louis personal injury lawyers with Cofman Townsley Injury Lawyers are hopeful these tips can help you reduce the chances of a distracted driving accident affecting those in your home.