Study Reveals Teens' Worst Driving Habits As Deadly Crashes Spike
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NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM/CBS NEWS) - For the first time in nearly a decade teen driving death numbers are on the rise. According to a new study, speeding tops the list of big mistakes made by teens behind the wheel.
According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), nearly 300 teen drivers and passengers died in traffic crashes in the state in 2015. New data from federal regulators reveal a 10-percent increase last year in teen driving deaths. Teens are more than one-and-a-half times more likely than adults to be involved in a deadly crash.
To help encourage safe driving, and hopefully save lives, TxDOT has partnered with more then 1,000 high schools for a "Teen Click It Or Ticket" campaign. The effort is meant to educate teens on safe driving and the importance of always wearing a seat belt.
Donovan Tessmer was about to start his senior year of high school. While out with friends, the teen's girlfriend was speeding, lost control and hit a tree. Donovan wasn't wearing a seat belt. He was ejected and killed instantly.
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Donovan's mother, Martha Tessmer, said, "The pain doesn't have a time frame. I can't even describe what it felt like in that moment -- to be standing on a crash site looking down at a yellow tarp knowing that my son was underneath it. But also knowing that the young driver would have never done anything to hurt us on purpose."
But adults are the only ones acting irresponsibly behind the wheel. The study also found that eight in 10 adults between ages 35 to 55 admit to driving while talking on the phone – more than teens. About half of teens and adults drive 15 mph over the speed limit. But when you add inexperience, speed and distraction, you get deadly results for the younger drivers.
Almost a decade later, speeding remains the top mistake teens make behind the wheel. Of the nearly 14,000 fatal crashes involving teen drivers over the last five years, more than 4,200 involved speed.
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