When most of us think about the dangerous habit of texting while driving, we recall the numerous public service announcements we’ve seen showing young teen drivers behind the wheel, completely distracted by their cell phones.
But in reality, it is not just young people who are engaged in this risky behavior. Many older people are doing it too, and one study shows that these drivers may be at an even higher risk of car accident injuries.
A study conducted at Wayne State University in Detroit explored how texting affects drivers of different ages. The subjects were 50 licensed men and women between the ages of 18 and 59 who took part in a series of simulated road tests. During the driving simulation, they were asked to engage in a brief, one-handed text conversation.
Prior to the test, the participants were questioned about their texting proficiency. Seven participants admitted their texting ability was limited, meaning they had to search for keys and typed with one finger. Sixteen described their texting ability as good, but used two hands to text. The remaining group of 27 participants considered themselves skilled texters, even when using one hand. The investigators further divided the subjects among age groups: 18 to 24, 25 to 34, 35 to 44, and 45 to 59.
The participants were then tested on their driving skills during a half hour drive in a realistic, virtual driving simulator that mimicked a two-lane country road with no stops lights or oncoming traffic. Each volunteer was asked to drive several minutes at roughly 50 to 60 mph while simultaneously reading and responding to a few brief texts using one hand.
The researchers took note of the number of times each texting driver drifted out of their lane, either on to the shoulder or into another lane, with oncoming traffic. Overall, two-thirds of drivers committed these lane excursions, which, in real-world situations, is a major cause of distracted driving accidents. Even those drivers who considered themselves skilled texters committed this potentially fatal mistake about half of the time.
When the investigators analyzed the results in terms of age groups, they found a surprising trend: the results suggest that the ability to handle the distraction of texting while driving gets progressively worse with age. In fact, nearly all of the drivers in the 45 to 59 age group made the mistake, regardless of their perceived texting ability. Similarly, 80 % of drivers in the 35 to 44 year old group committed lane excursions. Results improved as age decreased, with 40 % in the 25 to 34 age bracket, and only 25% of those in the youngest group, 18 to 24, drifting out of their lane while texting.
The findings of this study contradict earlier studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that found younger drivers to be at significantly higher risk of a distracted driving accident than more mature drivers. However, those studies tested driving skills with a variety of distractions, not just texting.
Authors of the current study hypothesize that the disparity could be due to younger drivers’ familiarity with texting, which may make them better multitaskers. However, they caution the public that the results of this study should not be interpreted as implying that it is safe for young drivers to text and drive. Texting while driving is dangerous and potentially deadly for all age groups, not just for older drivers.
