Texting While Driving and Other Risky Motor Vehicle Behaviors Among US High School Students

Abstract

WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Distracted driving due to texting while driving (TWD) has emerged as an important teenage safety issue. Previous studies have shown that the self-reported prevalence of TWD among teenagers varies widely. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:In 2011, 45% of US high school students aged $16 years reported TWD during the past 30 days. TWD was positively associated with other risky motor vehicle behaviors; this association strengthened as frequency of TWD increased. abstract OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of texting/e-mailing while driving (TWD) and association of TWD with other risky motor vehicle (MV) behaviors among US high school students.METHODS: Data were used from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention' s 2011 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which assessed TWD during the 30 days before the survey among 8505 students aged $16 years from a nationally representative sample of US high school students. TWD frequency was coded into dichotomous and polychotomous variables. Logistic regression assessed the relationship between TWD and other risky driving behaviors, controlling for age, race/ethnicity, and sex. RESULTS:The prevalence of TWD on $1 days during the 30 days before the survey was 44.5% (95% confidence interval: 40.8%-48.2%). Students who engaged in TWD were more likely than their non-TWD counterparts to not always wear their seatbelt (prevalence ratio; 95% confidence interval: 1.16; 1.07-1.26), ride with a driver who had been drinking alcohol (1.74; 1.57-1.93), and drink alcohol and drive (5.33; 4.32-6.59). These other risky MV behaviors were most likely to occur among students who frequently engaged in TWD.CONCLUSIONS: Nearly half of US high school students aged $16 years report TWD during the past 30 days; these students are more likely to engage in additional risky MV behaviors. This suggests there is a subgroup of students who may place themselves, their passengers, and others on the road at elevated risk for a crash-related injury or fatality by engaging in multiple risky MV behaviors. Pediatrics

Gender differences in psychosocial predictors of texting while driving

“…Recently, Olsen et al (2013) found a relationship between frequent texting and other risky behaviors among high school students. A large literature has established that men engage in more risky behaviors than women, including speeding, running stop lights, and not wearing seatbelts (Cross et al, 2011;Harris et al, 2006).…”

“…The rate reached 50% for young drivers age 18-24. CDC data for high school students for 2011 revealed that 44.5% had engaged in texting while driving (Olsen et al, 2013). Texting while driving is almost universal among college-age samples.…”

Patterns of Mobile Device Use by Caregivers and Children During Meals in Fast Food Restaurants

“…Most previous epidemiologic studies of mobile device use have used methods such as retrospective selfreport or review of cell phone records to assess frequency of use. [11][12][13][14][15] However, simply measuring the frequency of device use fails to capture modes of use that are most relevant to parentchild interactions and thus may be insufficient to describe the true impact of this technology on child health and development. A relevant categorization framework is necessary to begin to study how mobile device use affects caregiver-child interaction.…”

Transition: Driving and exercise

“…Seizure control, associated physical disorders, and intellectual ability, as well as risk-taking behaviors influence the discussion on driving at the time of transition or transfer. 1,2 A young person with epilepsy needs to achieve seizure control for a long enough period to be legally allowed to prepare for a driving test and obtain a license. In the epilepsy transition/transfer clinic setting, the physician needs to consider medical aspects, information provision, driving eligibility, as well as make a preliminary assessment of driving ability for those with additional impairment (Table 1).…”