Most teens don’t see their phone as a distraction while driving

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It seems the message of how dangerous it is to be on your phone behind the wheel is falling on deaf ears. More than 70 per cent of young drivers recently surveyed in Canada don’t think using their phone is much of a distraction while driving.

“That was somewhat surprising for us. Distracted driving is a serious problem and using phones is a very distracting activity behind the wheel,” says Matt Aymar with Parachute, one of the safety groups supporting National Teen Driver Safety Week.

A new poll from the company finds 39 per cent of drivers between the ages of 16 and 24 admit they text behind the wheel. “That isn’t the only distracted thing they’re doing,” he tells NEWS 1130. “Eighteen per cent said they also use social media and 12 per cent said they browse the Internet while driving.”

Aymar suggests it can be difficult to change attitudes, especially among teen drivers, even when you put the dangers into very concrete terms.
“We know that, if you can believe this, sending a text behind the wheel is equivalent to driving blindfolded for five seconds. That’s enough time to cover the length of a football field without seeing where you’re going. It’s a very dangerous activity and that’s why we are trying to raise awareness during National Teen Driver Safety Week.”

Aymar says strides have been made over the past decade, with the number of teen fatalities on the road dropping by almost half. “But at the same time, teen drivers are still over-represented when it comes to crashes and fatalities at almost 20 per cent.”

That’s why Parachute is focusing on delivering the anti-distracted driving message in a different way during this year’s campaign, using “positive ticketing” to promote, encourage and reward good driving habits among teens.

“This could be youth groups or other community organizations who participate so it’s an opportunity for teens to work with teens in spreading the message,” says Aymar. “The interesting thing is that this provides a way to engage young drivers in discussions about safe driving behaviours. Some of the research shows that peer-to-peer education is actually effective in changing behaviours. Sometimes we need to focus more on how we are delivering the message when going about reducing distracted driving.”

National Teen Driver Safety Week activities are happening across the country through Saturday.

This year, organizers are calling on teens to help reduce distracted and drug impaired driving by making a pledge on social media using the hashtag #GetHomeSafe.

Earlier this year the BC government increased fines and penalties for distracted driving, making it one of the toughest in the country. A ticket will set you back $368 and the number of points has increased from three to four.