Teens Ignore Talking-While-Driving Laws

Study Says Parental Influence Is Just As Important As Law Enforcement

(AP)  From Jeannie Harrison's perspective, the social lives of most teenagers tend to revolve around their cell phones - even when they are behind the wheel.

"People don't want to be inaccessible for even 15 minutes driving up the street," said Harrison, 19, a sophomore at Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va. "They're so used to being accessible all the time."

Targeting inexperienced motorists, several states have passed laws during the past five years restricting cell phone use by teenage drivers.

But an insurance industry study being released Monday that looked at whether teens are ignoring such restrictions contends enforcement and parental influence are just as important as new laws.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety studied North Carolina's law, enacted in 2006, which fines motorists under age 18 who are caught using a cell phone.

Researchers who watched as high school students left school found that teenage drivers used their cell phones at about the same rate both before and after the law took effect. In South Carolina, which does not have a similar restriction, cell phone use by teenage drivers was about the same for both periods studied.

A separate phone survey of North Carolina parents and teenagers showed widespread support for their state's law, but more than three in five reported that enforcement was rare or nonexistent.

"Cell phone bans for teen drivers are difficult to enforce," said Anne McCartt, the institute's senior vice president for research and an author of the study. "Drivers with phones to their ears aren't hard to spot, but it's nearly impossible for police officers to see handsfree devices or correctly guess how old drivers are."

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers, according to the government's auto safety agency, and teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers.

The institute says 17 states and the District of Columbia have cell phone restrictions in licensing requirements for teen drivers. The National Transportation Safety Board in 2003 recommended that states limit or bar young drivers from using cell phones, leading many states to act.

Harrison, who serves with Students Against Destructive Decisions, an advocacy group focused on highway safety issues, said few of her friends know about West Virginia's law banning cell phone use by novice drivers.

Bill Bronrott, a Maryland state delegate who sponsored a successful bill in 2005 prohibiting rookie drivers under 18 from using cell phones, except to make 911 emergency calls, said a "combination of education and enforcement" was critical. So, too, parental involvement.

Added Barbara Harsha, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association: "What these kinds of laws do is send the message to the parent more than anything else."

In the North Carolina study, researchers found that 11 percent of teenage drivers observed departing 25 high schools during the two months before the ban took effect were using cell phones. About five months after the ban took effect, during the spring of 2007, nearly 12 percent were observed using phones.

In South Carolina, observers found that 13 percent of high school students departing 18 high schools used cell phones while driving. The rates were consistent during the same two time periods studied in North Carolina.

In the North Carolina phone survey, 95 percent of parents and 74 percent of teenagers supported the restriction. But 71 percent of teens and 60 percent of parents felt that enforcement was rare or nonexistent.

In North Carolina, 37 citations were issued in 2007 by the state highway patrol to teens using a cell phone while operating a vehicle. Twenty-eight citations have been issued in 2008.

Selena Childs, executive director of the North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force, said in an e-mail that with many child safety laws in the state, "knowing that it's against the law is enough for many people to choose to comply with a law."

Childs said the state's driver's license system for young drivers has been effective "not so much because of law enforcement/citations, but because parents and teens self-enforce the law, resulting in reduced crashes."

Matt Sundeen, a transportation analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures, said many state laws on cell phones are new, making it difficult to assess their impact. He said more states are considering similar restrictions.

The institute conducted two separate telephone surveys in North Carolina: the first, before the cell phone restriction took effect, was in November 2006 and involved 400 pairs of parents and teenagers; the second, after the law had taken effect, was in April 2007 and involved a different sample of 401 pairs of parents and teenagers. Each survey had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

[Sodamary]

Parents are way to anxious to give the keys to kids. It seems we are pushing them out the door faster and faster these days without trying to get them prepared. I remember when a 14 or 15 year old kid in a midwestern state was getting "lessons" on the freeway a few years ago and was doing 80 mph. Kid tried to pass a semi, lost control and slammed into a car full of other teens. All teens in the car were killed, the kid getting the lesson got a broken leg. Sad story all the way around. Some parents are so afraid of hurting their kids feelings or not being their friends that they just give into their every whim. Time to start being parents and stop being pals.

[frankbowers]

Having two son in laws who drive with CDL''s the cops can pull them over for qany thing and ticket them for radar dectors.
I think if the cops wanted to they could do the same thing with teenagers if a phone is in the car not the truck then ticket them and make them bring their telephone records to the judge.
The records will tell if the person is using ior not using. I have to problem of doing that to all drivers. the phone is a problem. I, this morning, saw a lady backing out of her drive way who backed into a telephone pole and she said to me as I was laughing at the time, well i just did not see it. I continued my walking at the time I just laughed and went on.
Cell phones ar dangerous when given to some folks who are driving they seem to think everyone should watch out for themso they can talk uin the passing lane at 25 or 30 MPH instead of the posted 55 MPH.
Frank Bowers

[Netterz]

With that said, upon giving it some thought I have seen people far into adulthood who should know better of whats going on around them while they are behind the wheel of a 3000 lb wrecking ball they call a car doing far more idiotic things than merely talking on a cell phone. Crack a beer, read the paper/book, or have a 3''x5'' map spread the entire length of the dash, leaving about an inch or so of vision while doing 90 on the expressway, watching a movie on a portable DVD player mounted on the dash...PORN at that...or swatting at the kids in the back seat fighting, playing an air guitar, the list is endless, to the point of even sexxual acts at 95 mph.(SCARY & YUCKY) If your life entails putting alot of miles on the road, just take a few moments or miles, and really take a good look at whats going on around you..makes using a cell while driving violation pretty small.

[Netterz]

As we become more and more technology hip, so does the world around us. It feeds the need. Hands free? Cars are now equipped with it. Talking on the phone is 2nd nature to singing along to the radio, for those of us who had an 8 track deck in the car, if you even had a radio at all. In a world full of crime, and parents now being held responsible for every action and crime your child might commit, we have this need to be able to reach our child 24/7, so enter the cell phone multi-billion $$ industry. It was intentionally designed, for the wealthy business person in mind. New technology is invented every day. I cant even change my ring tone, but my kid can pick up my new phone, that does pretty much everything but take out the trash, and whip thru it and set it all up, so its ready and easy for me to use. I used to think I was a fairly intelligent college educated person. Then I had children. What was 5th grade homework to me, came home in Kindergarten.

[displeased]

Cell phone use just adds to the list of distractions people practice everyday. How many people do you suppose drive everyday while talking on the cell phone or texting, eat their breakfast, put on makeup, drive with little sleep, read some type of correspondence, etc?

Of course, their are some distractions that are acceptable, like scoping a hottie or flippin someone the bird.

[omnibus66]

Any cell phone use by anyone of any age is a serious distraction to responsible driving. Ban ALL cell phone use in a moving vehicle. End of problem.

[michellem99-2009]

Make it for all drivers nation wide ban it when driving. The 70s/80s it was quieter as if ye wanted to make a call ye went to a payphone. Cells are nice but they are abused.

[griking]

When are lawmakers going to realize that it''s the talking and paying attention to a conversation that distracts drivers, not whether they''re holding the phone in their hands or not. The only people that the laws requiring hands free units benefit are the people who sell the hands free units and the local police departments making a killing with their fines.

[cyberus-2009]

The problem with teen talk-drive laws is that they are limited to teens!
Easy way to enforce the laws is to make it for EVERYONE.

IMO most people aren''t capable of driving and using a cell phone without being a danger ... those that are capable are smart enough to go with a hands free anyways.

[hypnotoad72]

Teens are allowed to get away with more and more.

Never mind driving while using a cell phone or even hands-free device. Heck, most people can''t be bothered to use their turn signals...

It''s high time they''re lassoed back to Earth.

[johnstossel]

In the animated movie "Over the Hedge" my favorite line is when Gladys the president of the homeowner''s association gets behind the wheel of her SUV and says "Of course I can talk, I''m only driving!" Ya gotta love the irony!!!

[michellem99-2009]

I hear that. What did we do years ago. we were better off. Now ye hit one of my platforms.Hang it up. I am pissed. I am have carried one. But they are handy. I take the bus,I walk. I am a white cane user. We went out to eat. It was so peaceful and we enjoyed our meals. I don''t like people yakking on a phone just to be rude. I realise thet are in use. When ye get in that car yer eyes ,ears,hands,mind be on driving not multi tasking. If ye must put over off the road than talk on yer cell,and what not. I used to see on the bus people using their notebook computers. That is cool. My friend sat next a yakker.he told her to hang the bloody cell up.

[djberson]

rf35 is absolutely right. The quote: "several states have passed laws during the past five years restricting cell phone use by teenage drivers"... cell phone use, especially hand held should have been banned long ago for ALL drivers. Pull over and park if you want to gab. Don''t risk the lives and property of others for your unimportant chit-chat. I cannot even begin to count how many stupid STUPID things I have seen drivers do while on their cellphones.

[acolton1]

The reason I say that is that I work for a Telecommunications company and am on the phone all day. When I get off work I HATE the PHONE and dont want to be around it or talk to people.

[acolton1]

I got rid of my cell phone. It seems that if you dont smoke you have to be on that Frackin Cell Phone while driving. Just what did people do in the 70s without a cell phone in the car, it must have completely been overwhelming to have to pay attention to the road and traffic and be a responsible driver in the 70s and early 80s before cell phones.

Get rid of your Cell Phones the question do you need to be in contact with the world 100% of the time every day 24-7.

[killtheliars]

people need to realize that what 99.9% of us have to say doesn''t matter anyway. Unless you are actually a genius nobody really cares what you say or think. They might nod thier heads or answer you but i a few seconds what you just said is most likely totally and permenently deleted from the other persons memory. Bottom line is you are insignifigant.

[inventagod2]

I bought a hands-free speakerphone visor add-on from Motorola for $40.
It works GREAT, and NO TICKETS!

[rf35]

First, raise the legal driving age to 18. Children have no business driving. Second, ban ALL cell phone use for drivers regardless of age. I''m tired of dodging everyone from soccer moms to redneck hicks in pickups every time I walk through a parking lot. If you can''t stay off the dammn phone for 15 minutes, WALK!