Driving after dark is the single most dangerous risk a teenage driver can take and is more likely to result in death than drinking, speeding or disregarding a seat belt, according to a national 10-year study of highway fatalities released today.
“Everything points in the same direction for this age group, and that is to the use of cellphones behind the wheel,” said Bernie Fette, one of the study’s authors. “Whenever you combine the nighttime danger and the cellphone danger with inexperience, you have created a perfect storm.”
The report, conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute, used federal traffic fatality data from 1999 to 2008. In addition to dismissing the dangers of cellphone use, Fette said, few teenagers are aware that nightfall magnifies risks.
