Tennessee residents might be interested in hearing about new research that was done on teenage driving behavior. According to the results of a study that was led by an assistant professor at Oregon State University, many teenagers engage in activities that are very distracting while they are behind the wheel. Among those that were surveyed, 27 percent admitted to sometimes changing their shoes and clothes while they drive. Other teens said that they change their contact lenses, do homework or apply makeup while driving.
The lead researcher in the study said that he was surprised by the number of teens who change their clothes while they drive. Though there have been successful campaigns to draw awareness to the dangers of texting while driving, he said that teens should be aware that other distractions can be just as risky. Activities like changing radio stations, configuring GPS settings and even eating can be very dangerous while driving.
The study found that about 40 percent of teens still regularly send and receive texts while they drive. As the number represents a decrease from the results of earlier studies, researchers say awareness campaigns seem to be working. Researchers also found that short drivers education courses were effective in making teens aware of the dangers of driving distractions.
A person who has been injured by a distracted driver has the right to file a personal injury complaint to seek financial compensation. An attorney can help a victim of a motor vehicle accident to build a strong claim against the at-fault driver. Evidence that may help to establish liability could include eyewitness testimony establishing that the driver was willingly engaged in negligent behavior that took away from concentrating on the road.
Source: NPR, “Teens Say They Change Clothes And Do Homework While Driving”, Maanvi Singh, March 18, 2015