Study Uncovers Disturbing Trend Among Young Drivers

If you already had doubts about young drivers, this new study won't make you feel any better.

Researchers from Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Virginia Tech did a study that showed high school drivers spend 21.1% of their time on the road looking at their cell phones, according to Steve Fink of StudyFinds.

What's even more disturbing is that 26.5% of the time, those glances last for two or more seconds. 

That's important to note because, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, a driver taking their eyes off the road for two or more seconds doubles the risk of an accident.

The study began with interviews with 20 high school students and the most common answer for going for their phones while driving was entertainment, with texting and navigation rounded out the top three.

After those interviews, researchers then sent out a questionnaire to over 1,100 high school students with driver's licenses, and most respondents were high school seniors.

According to the study, one reason high school drivers are looking at their phones while driving has to do with social pressure. If young drivers see their friends looking at their phones while driving, they are more likely to do it, too.

Interestingly, the study found that getting sufficient sleep actually led to a decrease in phone use while driving among youngsters.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle accidents are among the leading causes of death for adolescents between 15-19 years old.

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