New research helps confirm that teenage drivers should keep their hands on the wheel and off their cell phones.
This research was presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies. In one study, high school students involved in a community safe driving program put fellow teenagers to the test. Participants were placed into a driving simulator where some simply drove, while others tried to text while behind the wheel. The texting teens were more likely to drift into other lanes and come close to hitting pedestrians or other cars -- no matter where they held their phones. In another study, college students answered questions about their attachment to their cell phones. Those who used their phones more compulsively had been in more car accidents.
According to the lead researcher the study doesn't prove that phone use directly caused these crashes. She says it's possible another factor, like being easily distracted, might explain both.
For more information on safe driving for teens, check out this website from the AAA which discourages teens from using their cell phones when they're behind the wheel: http://teendriving.aaa.com
I'm Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV, with the news that doctors are reading; health news that matters to you.
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