Cell Phones and Teen Drivers: A Dangerous Combination?
January 30, 2009 by Gary Sides
A new traffic study suggests NC teenagers have not paid much attention to state law that bans cell phone use by drivers under 18. The law went into effect in Dec. 2006.
A study was conducted by the UNC center and the Institute for Highway Safety. Researchers parked outside of 25 high schools discovered over 11% of teens were talking on cell phones while driving away from school.
Another study found 64% of teens were aware of the law forbidding cell phone use but only 39% of parents were aware of the ban.
Experts liken the use of cell phone while driving to have the same effects as being under the influence of alcohol.
Driving Teens Ignore Ban, Use Cell Phones
January 7, 2009 by Gary Sides
There’s a state ban on cell phone use for drivers under 18, but they seem to use cell phones with the same frequency as before the ban, a new traffic safety study suggests.
The ban is part of the state’s graduated licensing program, designed to limit distractions and risky behavior that can get young drivers into trouble.
In spring 2007, five months after the law took effect in December 2006, reseachers saw teen drivers talking on their phones at about the same frequency as in fall 2006, before the ban was implemented. Researchers parked outside 25 high schools and watched as teens drove away in the afternoon to see how many were talking on their phones.
It’s not surprising to find that teen drivers haven’t stopped using their cell phones, says Robert D. Foss, a senior research scientist with the Highway Safety Research Center at UNC Chapel Hill. The 2006 law has not been widely publicized. Police enforcement also is sporadic, because officers, like the UNC researchers, can’t be sure whether a cell phone-using driver is 18 or younger.