article_snippet: Distractions - especially talking with passengers and using cellphones - play a far greater role in car crashes involving teen drivers than has been previously understood, according to compelling new evidence cited by safety researchers.
article_snippet: The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that distractions were a factor in nearly 60per cent of moderate to severe crashes.
article_snippet: coach drivers show driver distraction was a factor in 58per cent of crashes, especially accidents in which vehicles ran off the road or had rear-end collisions.
article_snippet: Other forms of distraction observed in the videos included drivers looking away from the road at something inside the vehicle, ten per cent; looking at something outside the vehicle other than the road ahead, nine per cent; singing or moving to music, eight percent; grooming, six percent; and reaching for an object, six per cent.
article_snippet: The most common forms of distraction leading up to a crash by a teen driver included: .
article_snippet: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has previously estimated that distraction of all kinds is a factor in only 14per cent of all teen driver crashes.
article_snippet: The videos provide 'indisputable evidence that teen drivers are distracted in a much greater percentage of crashes than we previously realized,' said Peter Kissinger, the foundation's president and CEO.
article_snippet: Past research has shown that teens with multiple passengers in The car are more likely to have accidents.
article_snippet: New findings: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has previously estimated that distraction of all kinds is a factor in only 14per cent of all teen driver crashes .
article_snippet: The opposite is the case for adults - for older drivers, having a passenger with an extra set of eyes on the road can make driving safer.
article_snippet: Teen drivers using cellphones had Teen drivers using cellphones eyes off the road for an average of 4.1 seconds out of the final six seconds leading up to a crash, the AAA study found.
article_snippet: Researchers also measured reaction times in rear-end crashes and found that teen drivers using cellphones failed to react more than half of the time before the impact, meaning teen drivers using cellphones crashed without braking or steering away.
article_snippet: AAA and other traffic safety groups who previewed the findings said the AAA study shows states should review AAA and other traffic safety groups who previewed the findings licensing requirements to restrict the number of passengers in cars driven by teens and change AAA and other traffic safety groups who previewed the findings laws to prohibit cellphone use by teen drivers.
article_snippet: The videos provide 'indisputable evidence that teen drivers are distracted in a much greater percentage of crashes than we previously realized,' said Peter Kissinger, the foundation's president and CEO .
article_snippet: the findings confirm what safety groups have suspected for a long time - distraction is more severe and more common in teen driver crashes than previously found in government data,' said Jackie Gillan, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.
article_snippet: AAA said AAA also recommends that parents teach teens about the dangers of cellphone use and restrict passengers during the learning-to-drive process.
article_snippet: Teen drivers have the highest crash rate of any age group.
highlights_snippet: The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that distractions were a factor in nearly 60per cent ot crashes .
  
highlights_snippet: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has previously estimated that distraction of all kinds is a factor in only 14per cent of all teen driver crashes .
  