Use of cell phones shown to present big risk for drivers, too
By Ashley Halsey Iii
Washington Post

Driving after dark is the single most-dangerous risk a teenage driver can take and is more likely to result in death than drinking, speeding or not wearing a seat belt, according to a national 10-year study of highway fatalities released today.

"Everything points in the same direction for this age group, and that is to the use of cell phones behind the wheel," said Bernie Fette, one of the study's authors. "Whenever you combine the nighttime danger and the cell phone danger with inexperience, you have created a perfect storm."

The report, conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute, used federal traffic fatality data from 1999 to 2008, a period in which the number of traffic deaths declined nationwide. Safer cars, safer highways, seat-belt laws and drunken-driving enforcement have been linked to the drop in fatalities — all factors in darkness and daylight alike.

So why didn't nighttime traffic deaths drop, too?

Among drivers 20 and older, alcohol was a clear culprit in the proportional increase in nighttime deaths. Not so with teenagers, among whom there was a greater increase but no corresponding jump in deaths that could be attributed to drunken driving.

"We have a test to see whether someone's been drinking, but there is no test to see whether you've been on your cell phone," Fette said. "Because teenagers have grown up with these devices in their hands, they feel a comfort level and a very false sense of security. They will tell you, 'I can text with my phone still in my pocket, so I certainly can text while I'm driving.' "

The report adds to data amassed by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who has crusaded for more than a year about the dangers of texting and cell phone use.

"A quarter of all teens admit to texting behind the wheel, and in 2008, the highest proportion of distracted drivers in fatal crashes were under the age of 20," LaHood said. "Teen drivers are some of the most vulnerable drivers on the road due to inexperience, and adding cell phones to the mix only compounds the dangers. We're doing everything possible to get the message out to teens that driving while talking or texting on a cell phone is not worth the risk."

In addition to dismissing the dangers of cell phone use, Fette said, few teenagers are aware that nightfall magnifies the risk posed by their inexperience and fatigue. "More than 80 percent of teens can name alcohol as a driving risk," Fette said, "but only 3 percent are aware that driving at night is dangerous."

The report cites research from the National Sleep Foundation that says the average teen needs nine hours of sleep but gets seven. "The resulting fatigue, especially late at night, can contribute to impairment that is similar to being intoxicated," the Texas Transportation Institute report said. Data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that the crash rate per mile driven for 16-year-olds is almost 10 times the rate for drivers 30 to 59. NHTSA research also has shown that teens killed at night are less likely to be wearing seat belts. About 6,000 teenagers die in car crashes each year.

The Texas research indicates that nighttime driving was the No. 1 risk for fatalities for teen drivers, followed by speed, distractions, failure to wear a seat belt and alcohol use.