Teens Use Cell Phones While Driving 21% Of The Time
A driver uses a phone while behind the wheel of a car. Getty Images
A survey of more than 1,100 teens from across the country saw participants admit to spending an average of 21% of each trip using their phones while driving.
Of those instances, more than a quarter lasted two seconds or longer, participants reported, which significantly increases the risk of a crash or near crash, according to a 2014 study.
Teens said driving distracted allows them to be entertained or productive while on the road, and that they're more likely to use their phones behind the wheel when they haven't gotten enough sleep.
Most participants said they understand that distracted driving is dangerous and that their parents would rather they not, but they said their friends are also using their phones behind the wheel.
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We're launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day's headlines. Text 'Alerts' to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here : joinsubtext.com/forbes.
235. That's how many people were killed in crashes involving distracted drivers between the ages of 15 and 19 in 2022, according to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Teen Driver Source.
Distracted driving was blamed for the deaths of 3,275 people in 2023—about 9 deaths per day on average—according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. All but one state, Montana, has legally banned texting while behind the wheel for all drivers and, as of December, 35 states have illegalized all types of phone use among young drivers. Despite the restrictions, one 2023 poll found that while 97% of teen drivers agree texting and driving is dangerous, 43% admitted to doing it anyway. Further Reading Forbes Teens Teaming With Teens To Create A Better World By Kate Vitasek Forbes American Teens Experience Enormous Pressures Related To Mental Health, New Study Finds By Omer Awan
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
16 minutes ago
- CNN
Get ready for more bad news from Tesla
Tesla's sales plunge over the last 18 months has been a stunning turn for a company that recorded only one quarterly year-over-year sales drop before 2024. And the company faces significant trouble ahead. Investors already know that second-quarter sales fell a record 13.5% compared to a year earlier, the second straight quarter in which its sales were off at least 13%. But a second-quarter earnings report, due after the market closes at 4pm ET, could shed light on other, potentially bigger problems as well, as the company faces losing its title as the world's biggest EV maker to China's BYD. The first-quarter sales drop sparked an even larger 71% drop in net income in that period. Tesla is expected to post another decline in the second quarter, albeit not as large. Analysts estimate net income dropped about $350 million, or nearly 24%, in the March through June period. Looking ahead, though, a $7,500 tax credit for US EV buyers will go away in October, which could force the company to further cut prices, and thereby profit margins, to support sales. US buyers account for nearly half of Tesla's sales. Tariffs could bite, as well. Unlike all other major automakers, Tesla (TSLA) builds every car it sells in the US at its two American plants, helping it avoid 25% import car tariffs. But Tesla does depend on imported parts and raw materials, which are still tariffed. Last week, the Chinese graphite used in its batteries became subject to another tariff that raised the costs 160% from last year. Perhaps the most serious financial problem facing Tesla is the elimination of the market for regulatory credit sales, which has fed $10.6 billion to the company's bottom line since 2019. Gas-powered carmakers in the past bought emissions credits from Tesla, since its EVs came in below emissions limits. But the Republican tax and spending bill passed earlier this month removed financial penalties for automakers violating emissions rules. Tesla would have lost money in the first three months of the year without its revenue from selling those credits. Tesla CEO Elon Musk will undoubtedly try to focus investor attention on the company's plans for robotaxis and humanoid robots to offset those concerns. It started a long-promised robotaxi service in June – but just a portion of its hometown of Austin, Texas, to friends and fans of the company, and with an employee sitting beside the empty driver's seat. It could be years before a robotaxi service actually makes money for the company. And there's a wildcard: Three months ago, Tesla's quarterly earnings were dominated by the news that Musk was leaving the Trump administration and would be spending most of his time once again running Tesla. But while he stepped away from an official role, he hasn't been able to quit politics entirely, having since had a falling out with President Donald Trump. Now he's announced plans to start a third political party. What that could mean for Tesla's own future is murky at best.
Fast Company
16 minutes ago
- Fast Company
The cheapest new car on the market is about to go extinct
Just like the dodo and passenger pigeon before it, the affordable new car is about to go extinct as a species. The last new Mitsubishi Mirage model is expected to be sold by the end of this summer—and after that, there will be no new cars available for sale in the U.S. for less than $20,000. The Mirage is a fuel-efficient compact hatchback, and until it sells out, it is the cheapest new car on the market. In June it sold for an average transaction price of $18,484. [Photo: Mitsubishi] The Mirage was able to stay so cheap by offering the bare minimum. It's tiny. And while it has now-standard features like a touchscreen and rearview camera system, it doesn't have much else. In Car and Driver's review of the final 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage G4, the publication gave the car a 3/10 rating, noting that it was cheap to buy but cheaply made, with a puny engine and drab driving demeanor. 'Cheap? Yes. Cheerful? Not so much,' it said. This is a car that gets you from point A to point B. If you want to get there quickly, that's extra. You get what you pay for. Subscribe to the Design newsletter. The latest innovations in design brought to you every weekday Privacy Policy | Fast Company Newsletters [Photo: Mitsubishi] Mitsubishi said last year that it was ending production of the Mirage, and now there are only some 1,700 left, according to data from the car-services firm Cox Automotive. Based on the current sales pace, the firm predicts the last Mirage will be sold by summer's end. Buyers looking for the cheapest new car will then have to turn to the 2025 Nissan Versa S ($20,130) or 2025 Hyundai Venue SE ($21,695), per Inflation since the pandemic has hit the automotive industry especially hard, with the average transaction price for a new vehicle rising from about $40,000 in 2020 to nearly $49,000 in 2025, per Kelley Blue Book data. Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have led to increased production costs, and while major automakers have yet to announce consumer-side price increases in response to new import duties, Doug Ostermann, CFO of Stellantis, said during a call on July 21 that he believes 'we're coming to the end of that period.' While the Mirage is no-frills, it offered buyers an ultracheap option for when cost was the most important decision-making factor. Without it, the average price of new cars will only continue to climb.
CNN
17 minutes ago
- CNN
Get ready for more bad news from Tesla
Tesla's sales plunge over the last 18 months has been a stunning turn for a company that recorded only one quarterly year-over-year sales drop before 2024. And the company faces significant trouble ahead. Investors already know that second-quarter sales fell a record 13.5% compared to a year earlier, the second straight quarter in which its sales were off at least 13%. But a second-quarter earnings report, due after the market closes at 4pm ET, could shed light on other, potentially bigger problems as well, as the company faces losing its title as the world's biggest EV maker to China's BYD. The first-quarter sales drop sparked an even larger 71% drop in net income in that period. Tesla is expected to post another decline in the second quarter, albeit not as large. Analysts estimate net income dropped about $350 million, or nearly 24%, in the March through June period. Looking ahead, though, a $7,500 tax credit for US EV buyers will go away in October, which could force the company to further cut prices, and thereby profit margins, to support sales. US buyers account for nearly half of Tesla's sales. Tariffs could bite, as well. Unlike all other major automakers, Tesla (TSLA) builds every car it sells in the US at its two American plants, helping it avoid 25% import car tariffs. But Tesla does depend on imported parts and raw materials, which are still tariffed. Last week, the Chinese graphite used in its batteries became subject to another tariff that raised the costs 160% from last year. Perhaps the most serious financial problem facing Tesla is the elimination of the market for regulatory credit sales, which has fed $10.6 billion to the company's bottom line since 2019. Gas-powered carmakers in the past bought emissions credits from Tesla, since its EVs came in below emissions limits. But the Republican tax and spending bill passed earlier this month removed financial penalties for automakers violating emissions rules. Tesla would have lost money in the first three months of the year without its revenue from selling those credits. Tesla CEO Elon Musk will undoubtedly try to focus investor attention on the company's plans for robotaxis and humanoid robots to offset those concerns. It started a long-promised robotaxi service in June – but just a portion of its hometown of Austin, Texas, to friends and fans of the company, and with an employee sitting beside the empty driver's seat. It could be years before a robotaxi service actually makes money for the company. And there's a wildcard: Three months ago, Tesla's quarterly earnings were dominated by the news that Musk was leaving the Trump administration and would be spending most of his time once again running Tesla. But while he stepped away from an official role, he hasn't been able to quit politics entirely, having since had a falling out with President Donald Trump. Now he's announced plans to start a third political party. What that could mean for Tesla's own future is murky at best.
