70% of teens admit to using phone while driving

These days, you can’t go anywhere without spotting someone on their phone. Because unlike cell phones in years past, smartphones offer so many more options than just making phone calls or sending a text message. Nowadays, our phones are our social networks, our health trackers, our daily planners and our tools for work. It’s no wonder, then, that 70 percent of teens admit they’ve used their phone while behind the wheel.

Drive virtually anywhere and you’ll spot people smiling into their laps at a red light or flipping through their apps as they make turns. Cell phones have always been distracting for drivers, but smartphones present more comprehensive distractions. It’s hard to resist reaching for your phone to change the song you’re playing in your car, or to continue to the next step on your GPS app. Even reaching down to press ignore on an incoming call can require precious seconds where your eyes leave the road.

The reality is that eight people each day die because of distracted drivers. Too many of us see the issue as a blurred line, one that we might not admit to publicly but indulge in far more frequently than we’d like. But when a single text increases your odds of crashing six times, you know it’s time to get real about distracted driving.

So what’s the solution? One big step is getting the word out. Let your friends and family know about these scary statistics and discourage them from picking up their phones while driving. The other solution? Practice what you preach. Leave your phone in your pocket or purse when you’re behind the wheel. Modeling good behavior for your kids and friends now could mean a decreased rate of distracted driving in the future.

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