In recent years, there has been increased concern among governments, researchers and the general public about the problem of distracted driving. While several definitions of distracted driving exist, more generally this problem involves “a diversion of attention from driving, because the driver is temporarily focused on an object, person, task, or event not related to driving, which reduces the driver’s awareness, decision-making, and/or performance, leading to an increased risk of corrective actions, near-crashes or crashes”(Hedlund et al. 2006, p.2). One form of distraction behind the wheel involves texting while driving. This practice has been identified as being particularly problematic for teen drivers in light of research showing that they are more receptive to using new communication technologies (Lee et al. 2011). This fact sheet, sponsored by State Farm®, examines the role of distracted driving in fatalities among 16-19 year olds in Canada. It includes fatalities involving: > fatally injured drivers who were distracted; > fatally injured pedestrians who were distracted; or, > fatally injured victims dying due to a distracted driver (fatally injured passengers and pedestrians dying in a collision where at least one driver was distracted or fatally injured non-distracted drivers who collided with a distracted driver). (Author/publisher)
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