A study conducted by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and reported in the latest edition of Science Daily, narrows down the most common errors that lead to teen car crashes. Teens are involved in fatal car crashes at four times the rate of adults. The most common critical errors were identified as follows:
1. Failure to scan the conditions to identify and detect hazards in road conditions;
2. Going too fast for road conditions, such as driving too fast to negotiate a curve or to respond to other drivers);
3. Being distracted by something inside or outside the vehicle.
Interestingly, the study was in contrast to the common perception that teen car crashes were caused by aggressive or thrill seeking drivers. The lead researcher for the article concludes that promoting safe driving skills (such as preventing distracted driving) is as important as preventing problem behaviors.