Preventing Teen Driver Distraction

Distracted driving is one of the most dangerous temptations for a newly licensed teen driver. If you are worried about your teen texting and driving, you have good reason to be. Young people are among the most avid users of cell phones, smartphones and texting devices and, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, more than half of teen drivers said they use a cell phone on the road and more than one in four reported typing or sending a text message while driving in the previous 30 days.

Minnesota State Driver Distraction Laws

Using a wireless device while driving could not only cause your teen driver to crash—it could also lead to a traffic ticket. In Minnesota, instruction permit and provisional license holders are banned from using any wireless communication devices while driving. All Minnesota drivers are prohibited from composing, reading or sending text messages, or accessing the Internet while driving.

Key Tips for Parents of Teen Drivers

Minnesota has taken steps to keep roads safe for everyone by passing laws against teen driver distraction. Parents also play a critical role in enforcing these rules.

Minimize Distractions

Explain to your teen driver how to minimize potential distractions and keep focused on the road. Much attention is placed on teen texting and driving, but wireless devices aren’t the only distractions on the road. Eating, drinking, chatting with a passenger, reading a map, personal grooming, reaching for objects, or looking at people or objects unrelated to driving could lead to a crash.

Limit the Number of Passengers

Prohibit your teen from carrying teen passengers or riding as a passenger with other new teen drivers. A study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that carrying passengers, particularly other teens, greatly increases crash risk for drivers under age 18. Minnesota’s driver licensing rules allow no more than one non-family teen passenger under the age of 20 for the first six months of driving and no more than three non-family teen passengers under 20 for the second six months.

Set Ground Rules

Integrate ground rules related to distraction into a teen driver agreement. The AAA Start Smart Parent-Teen Driving Agreement has some of these components already built-in.

Lead by Example

Finally, set an example for your teen by refraining from distracting activities when you’re behind the wheel. Your teen will continue to pay attention to your driving behavior, so don’t risk passing on poor habits. Show your teen how important it is to just hang up and drive.

Distraction and Teen Crashes

Distracted driving among teens is a much greater problem than previously thought. Research using teen crash videos found that distraction was a factor in nearly 60 percent of teen crashes, including 89 percent of road-departure crashes and 76 percent of rear-end crashes.

The most common forms of distraction leading up to a crash by a teen driver are interacting with passengers (15 percent) and using cell phones (12 percent). Previous research indicates that teen passengers and the use of cell phones can increase the crash risk for teen drivers. On average, teen drivers using a cell phone took their eyes off of the road in the moments leading up to a crash. They also failed to react more than half of the time before a rear-end collision.

A follow-up report in 2016 found that while the top distractions were unchanged from 2007 to 2015, a disturbing trend emerged regarding how teens are using their phones behind the wheel. Teens were more likely to be looking down or operating their phones rather than talking or listening in the critical seconds leading up to a crash. The study also found an increase in rear-end crashes and the average time drivers’ eyes were off the road.