Teen Drivers and Texting While Driving

We have further proof that nearly anything can be hacked. A teenager boasted this week that he had hacked 25 Tesla cars around the world and gained remote access without their owners ever knowing.

David Columbo, the 19-year-old self-proclaimed IT security specialist and hacker, announced his gambit via a Twitter thread Monday and Tuesday. He said he’s keeping mum on how he pulled off his coup until he reports the vulnerability to the non-profit Mitre, a federally funded research and development non-profit that tackles safety and stability challenges. However, Columbo did say it was due to errors on the owners’ part, not a security flaw in Tesla’s software.

Tesla’s security team told Columbo they’re looking into the situation.

The ripple effect

With his newfound power, Columbo said he could do everything from identifying the exact location of each car to disabling the vehicle’s security system, opening its doors and windows, and even playing music and YouTube videos. The only thing Columbo couldn’t apparently do was remotely drive the cars, but by knowing where the cars were located, he could theoretically steal them if he wanted to. 

Columbo’s escapade may have only directly affected 25 Tesla vehicles, but the ripple effect was actually much larger – especially for those vehicles' owners. “So, I now have full remote control of over 20 Teslas in 10 countries and there seems to be no way to find the owners and report it to them,” Columbo said.

The next ripple came from TezLab, an app that gives Tesla owners “quick controls, stats and everything charging.” The app maker reported that as the hack’s effect spread, it saw the simultaneous expiration of up to a million Tesla authentication tokens. TezLab members were told that they would need to sign in again to re-establish the connection to their vehicles. 

“We apologize for any inconvenience,” the company tweeted – a comment that Columbo mimicked in his own response.

A new study explored the trends behind fatal drunk driving accidents across the U.S, specifically when it comes to blood alcohol concentration (BAC). 

According to the team of researchers, the drivers in 15 percent of all fatal crashes tested for a BAC under the legal limit, which is 0.08. In more than half of these cases, the passengers were at a greater risk of death than the drivers. 

“Our study challenges the popular misconception that alcohol-involved crashes primarily affect drinking drivers, or that BACs below the legal limit don’t matter,” said researcher Dr. Timothy S. Naimi. 

Staying off the road

The researchers evaluated data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, spanning 16 years worth of alcohol-induced crashes. In that time, there were over 600,000 drunk driving fatalities. 

The researchers learned that drivers in nearly 40 percent of those crashes had alcohol in their systems, though 15 percent were technically under the legal alcohol limit. 

These findings highlight the danger associated with driving with any alcohol in a consumer’s system, particularly for young people. The study found that in cases where drivers were still under the legal limit, fatalities were most common among young passengers. The researchers explained that a BAC as low as 0.03 can make it risky for consumers to get behind the wheel. 

Moving forward, the team is looking to policymakers to tighten up restrictions around alcohol in the hopes of reducing the number of crashes and fatalities. While some states have lowered the legal limit from 0.08 to 0.05, they also suggested raising alcohol taxes and making alcohol harder to come by in convenience stores. 

“Lower alcohol crashes have been underestimated as a public health problem,” said Dr. Naimi. “Our research suggests that stringent alcohol policies reduce the likelihood of fatal accidents involving drivers with all levels of alcohol blood concentration.” 

Since the advent of the automobile, generations of teenagers couldn’t wait to get their driver’s license. A license to drive meant freedom and the open road.

But these days, mobility doesn’t seem quite as enticing. A few years ago, Brandon Schoettle of General Motors developed a questionnaire for teens who were old enough to drive but who did not have a driver’s license. Schoettle wanted to know why.

The top eight reasons given for not having a driver’s license were:

1. Too busy or not enough time to get a driver's license

2. Owning and maintaining a vehicle is too expensive

3. Able to get transportation from others

4. Prefer to bike or walk

5. Prefer to use public transportation

6. Concerned about how driving impacts the environment

7. Able to communicate and/or conduct business online instead

8. Disability/medical/vision problems

22 percent plan to never drive

Twenty-two percent of the respondents went so far as to say they planned to never obtain a driver’s license. About 69 percent said they would get a license eventually.

When compared to their peers of the same age, those without a driver’s license tended to be less educated and more unemployed. That could suggest economics is a factor in their decision and put strong emphasis on answer number two.

Whether or not money is the main factor, the answers tend to suggest that driving simply isn’t a big deal for today’s teenagers and even young adults. But economics can’t be overlooked.

The Wall Street Journal points to the rising cost of both new and used vehicles. Earlier this year the average transaction price of a new car surpassed $37,000. Both Ford and GM have eliminated or cut back on the small sedans they produce, pouring their efforts instead into trucks and SUVs, which have a higher profit margin.

Driving classes getting older

Brent Wall, who operates a driving school in Michigan, told The Journal that the kids in his classes are older than they were a decade ago. Some had to be pushed by their parents to learn to drive a car.

One possible reason the researchers haven’t advanced is that the road is a much scarier place than it was 10 or 20 years ago. There is more traffic moving at faster rates of speed.

When researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's (CHOP) Center for Injury Research and Prevention and the University of Pennsylvania set up a driving simulator with real-world hazardous driving scenarios, young drivers didn’t do so well.

During the 35-minute simulation, which incorporated 22 variations of the most common ways teen drivers crash, nearly 43 percent of teen drivers who had their licenses three months or less recorded at least one crash in the simulator.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and as usual, parents are being urged to admonish their teenage drivers about the dangers of texting behind the wheel.

But this year there’s a new twist. Teens are being urged to have a distracted driving talk with their parents since research shows a growing number of adults are doing the very thing they tell their children not to do.

Research done at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing shows that one in three parents read text messages and one in seven use social media while driving their young children.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports more than 1,000 injuries a day in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver.

Catalysts for change

Honda is among major corporations getting behind the campaign to flip the script when it comes to distracted driving.

"By making children and teens the catalysts for change, Honda's distracted driving campaign takes a nontraditional approach in parent-child dynamics to capture true human emotion and encourage safer driving," said Jessica Fini, social media manager at American Honda Motor. "For the past six years, we have used our social media platforms to promote safer driving during National Distracted Driving Awareness month, and we hope having the text talk will inspire a crucial conversation between teens and parents beyond the month of April."

Other corporations -- especially those that involve either driving or texting -- are getting behind the campaign to enlist children to help their parents be more attentive drivers. Currently, AT&T is airing the commercial below.

Family talk

The Honda campaign features a video in which teens talk about their parents’ driving habits, then sit down with their parents to discuss their concerns. The families in the video then sign a pledge not to text or look at their mobile devices while driving.

While the CHOP study shows a growing number of adults are distracted by their phones while driving, teens may not be in any position to lecture their parents. A 2018 study led by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital found that nearly two in five teen drivers text while driving.

Of the 35 states assessed in the study, South Dakota had the highest rate of teen texting and driving, with 64 percent of high school students admitting that they had engaged in the risky driving behavior at least once in the month prior to the survey.

Though cell phones have come to permeate essentially every area of our lives, the use of these devices while driving has become particularly problematic. Amidst several campaigns urging consumers not to text or call while driving, the issue continues to lead to fatal car accidents.

However, a new study conducted by researchers from Florida Atlantic University found that motorcyclist fatalities have been on the decline in states that have instituted strict bans on using cell phones while driving.

“In the case of motorcycles, these laws seem to be effective,” said Dr. Gulcin Gumus. “While it’s not clear that these laws have had an impact on reducing the overall number of traffic fatalities, when we focus specifically on motorcycles, we find that these laws are having a major impact in reducing deaths among motorcycle riders.”

Improved safety on the roads

To see how effective these laws have been, the researchers analyzed data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System for a 10-year period between 2005 and 2015. They looked at total fatalities, in addition to specifically motorcycle-related deaths across the entire country.

Because laws are not the same in all 50 states, the researchers broke down the statistics even further to see the differences in states that have banned cell phone use and states that have not. When the team compared the number of fatal crashes in states with cell phone bans with states without bans, the rate of fatalities differed by as much as 11 percent.

The researchers note that motorcyclists are found to be more distracted while driving, which could be why they are most positively impacted by these new laws.

“Every day about nine Americans are killed and more than 1,000 are injured in traffic crashes that involve distracted drivers,” said researcher Michael T. French. “While our initial goal was to understand whether these laws save lives on the road, the broader application of our findings is even more powerful.”

Moving forward, the researchers are hopeful that these findings inspire more lawmakers to consider stricter cell phone laws for drivers, as based on this study, it can only help to save lives.

“We have a better appreciation for the range of policies across states and years, and what makes texting/handling bans strong and effective, especially for motorcyclists,” French said. “Hopefully these results will facilitate a more informed discussion between legislators, law enforcement officers, and the general public about distracted driving and traffic safety.”

Epidemic of distracted driving

Though the risks of texting and driving have been well-documented, many people are still tempted to whip out their phones while behind the wheel. In a recent study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy Nationwide Children’s Hospital, nearly 40 percent of teen drivers were found to text while driving.

Texting and driving was more prevalent among teens in states with lower minimum driving age requirements, and it was also more common among white teens, as opposed to African American or Hispanic teens. However, the practice was less likely to occur if teens were in the car with an adult.

Similarly, drivers that have their cars equipped with technology that is designed to reduce distracted driving has been found to do the opposite.

Esurance conducted a survey at the beginning of this year and found that the majority of adults are aware that using a phone or GPS can be distracting while they drive, but many still choose to do so anyway. Nearly 60 percent of drivers admitted to driving while either texting, using navigation, or talking on the phone.

“We’re seeing more automakers try to address the issue of distracted driving through semi-autonomous features, but we’re also mindful of the fact that some of these features could distract drivers even more and often give drivers a false sense of security,” said Esurance Director of the Connected Car Department Stephanie Braun.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has presented new research that shows new infotainment systems found in late model cars and trucks, even those with voice controls, continue to pose dangerous distractions for drivers.

These infotainment systems, which play music from multiple sources and display maps outlining routes, often come with higher levels of sophistication and more features. According to AAA, that's not a good thing.

The researchers say they found drivers who used in-vehicle technologies like voice-based and touch screen features could be both visually and mentally distracted for more than 40 seconds when programming a navigation or sending a text message.

The auto club cites previous research that found taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles the risk of a crash.

Unsafe situations for drivers

"Some in-vehicle technology can create unsafe situations for drivers on the road by increasing the time they spend with their eyes and attention off the road and hands off the wheel," said Dr. David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

Yang doesn't rule out the possibility that in-vehicle technology could be made less distracting. In fact, he says some systems, while far from perfect, are not as bad as others.

"When an in-vehicle technology is not properly designed, simple tasks for drivers can become complicated and require more effort from drivers to complete," Yang said

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Utah, who examined both the visual and mental demands of infortainment systems. They also measured the time it took to complete a task using the systems installed in 30 vehicles from the 2017 model year.

Participants in the study were instructed to use voice command, touch screen, and other interactive technologies to make a call, send a text message, tune the radio, or program navigation -- all while keeping the vehicle on the road.

Navigation most distracting

The study found that programming a navigation system was the most distracting task for a driver, taking an average of 40 seconds to complete.

Remarkably, the study found none of the 30 infotainment system generated low demand on drivers. Seven were found to generate moderate demands on a driver's attention, while 11 generated high demand and 12 were "very high" in their demands.

Among the most demanding were the infotainment systems found in the Honda Civic Touring, Ford Mustang GT, and Tesla Model S.

The least distracting infotainment systems – those imposing a “moderate” demand on the driver – were found in the Chevy Equinox LT, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, Toyota Camry SE, and Lincoln MKC Premier.

"Drivers want technology that is safe and easy to use, but many of the features added to infotainment systems today have resulted in overly complex and sometimes frustrating user experiences for drivers," said Marshall Doney, AAA's CEO.

Doney says drivers are more distracted when they encounter problems using the audio or navigation systems in their cars. However, since research shows consumers like these sophisticated systems, Doney says AAA is meeting with auto manufacturers and suppliers to find ways to make them easier to use.

For years now safety experts have preached to drivers about the dangers of texting behind the wheel. And though people still do it, many are getting the message. Fewer admit to doing it than in the past.

But the danger isn't going away, and it appears to be tied directly to the smartphone. Drivers – especially young drivers – aren't texting as much because they are too busy using apps while they drive.

A survey released this month by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Students against Destructive Driving (SADD) found just 27% of teen drivers report texting behind the wheel but 68% admit to using an app, usually reading or posting to social media.

Needless to say, the experts stress, that's not just as bad – it's worse. But teen drivers overwhelmingly don't see it that way. Eighty percent of the teens in the study insist that using an app while driving is not distracting.

Not a distraction, teens say

“Teens as a whole are saying all the right things, but implicitly believe that using their phone while driving is safe and not a stressor or distraction behind the wheel,” said Dr. Gene Beresin, senior advisor on adolescent psychiatry with SADD.

Teens aren't the only offenders. Plenty of adults of all ages have been caught texting or posting to Snapchat behind the wheel. A Pennsylvania TV station aired a photo supplied by a viewer that appears to show a woman steering with one foot while she uses both hands to access her smartphone.

Newly-passed state laws against texting while driving appear to have had little impact, even though insurance companies will raise your rates should you be ticketed for an infraction.

The SADD study suggests many teens consider navigation and music apps on their phones as “utilities,” lessening the perception of dangers of accessing them while driving. Vehicle Bluetooth systems that provide hands-free access for smartphone apps through the vehicle's infotainment system may have fostered what some believe to be a false sense of security.

AAA study

A 2013 study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found even hands-free devices are dangerous, because the mental workload and distractions can slow reaction. Drivers scan the road less and miss visual cues, potentially resulting in not seeing items right in front of them, including stop signs and pedestrians.

It is in this light that automakers are speeding up efforts to produce self-driving cars. While some safety advocates worry these autonomous vehicles will be inherently dangerous, there are plenty of others who think they will make the roads safer, because the people who would ordinarily be driving them are in the back seat, updating their Facebook profiles.

In the meantime, insurance companies make clear that it isn't just texting that is the problem. It's the device itself, and all the things a driver may be tempted to do with it. Dr. William Horrey, a research scientist at Libery Mutual, says it's not the apps that pose the danger. It's how people interact with them.

Car companies make a big deal about their Bluetooth-enabled sound systems that allow you to make and receive mobile telephone calls without ever touching your phone.

But there have been several studies suggesting this is still an unsafe distraction. Now, there's one more study.

Psychologists are the University of Sussex say the problem with a cell phone has never been that it occupies one hand that ordinarily on the steering wheel. Rather, they say the phone conversation occupies the driver's mind and makes him or her less aware of the environment.

The study found that drivers having conversations which triggered their visual imaginations were less aware of road hazards. Their eyes also focused on a smaller area of the road, sometimes causing them to miss road hazards that were right in front of them.

Little difference in safety

Dr. Graham Hole, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Sussex, says it is difficult to see any difference in distraction level between someone holding a phone and talking and someone on a hands-free device.

“Our findings have implications for real-life mobile phone conversations,” Hole said. “The person at the other end of the phone might ask 'where did you leave the blue file,' causing the driver to mentally search a remembered room. The driver may also simply imagine the facial expression of the person they’re talking to.”

Hole says conversations are more visual than most people believe.What happens, he says, is a driver can enter a “visual world” and be less aware of what's happening in the actual world, with dangerous implications when someone is piloting a vehicle going 60 to 70 miles per hour.

AAA study

Three years ago a AAA study on the potential distractions of advanced infotainment systems in cars made special mention of hands-free phones, saying drivers shouldn't be lulled into the belief they are that much safer.

The study concluded that as mental workload and distractions increase, reaction time slows, brain function is compromised, drivers scan the road less, and miss visual cues. Like the Sussex study, the AAA researchers said drivers run the risk of seeing, but not recognizing things right in front of them, such as pedestrians or stop signs.

“There is a looming public safety crisis ahead with the future proliferation of these in-vehicle technologies,” AAA President and CEO Robert L. Darbelnet said at the time. “It’s time to consider limiting new and potentially dangerous mental distractions built into cars, particularly with the common public misperception that hands-free means risk-free.”

All the public service announcements, all the lectures, and all the traffic tickets don't seem to have made a dent in texting-while-driving cases. At least, not yet.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that more than 3,100 people died in traffic accidents in 2014 as the result of distracted driving, and Beverly Shirk, pediatric trauma coordinator at Penn State Children’s Hospital, says texting behind the wheel was undoubtedly a factor in most of those accidents.

“People sending or receiving a text have four seconds or more that their eyes are off the road,” Shirk said. “If you’re traveling 55 miles per hour, that’s the length of a football field. Your reaction time might not allow for you to stop.”

Shirk is well-acquainted with the problem because every year she works closely with teens in workshops on safe driving. She says it's a challenge to make teens understand the many distractions present in the car and why it calls for making good choices.

Other distractions

Besides talking or texting, she says teens tell her that today's sophisticated infotainment systems can be a distraction, as well as operating navigation systems. Eating behind the wheel is still a major distraction, she says.

Shirk says many teens feel compelled to respond to messages from their friends instantly, even if they are in heavy traffic. The way around that, she suggests, is setting a phone to silent and stowing it out of sight while the vehicle is moving.

To alleviate anxiety over not being able to respond instantly, she recommends downloading an app that automatically responds to incoming contacts with a message that the recipient is driving and will respond shortly.

More accountability

With the tools available to reduce cellphone distractions, more and more safety advocates are pushing to hold drivers accountable when they don't take advantage of them and cause accidents. Deborah Becker, co-founder of Distracted Operators Risk Casualties (DORCs), says accountability works.

Drunk driving is down, she says, because drunk drivers are facing much stiffer penalties. These days, she says a fatal car crash is most likely to be caused by someone looking at their cellphone.

"When people were held accountable for drunk driving, that's when positive change occurred,” she said. “It's time to recognize that distracted driving is a similar impairment, and should be dealt with in a similar fashion.”

Becker's group is backing proposed legislation that would have drivers submit their phone to roadside testing to see if it were in use at the time of an accident or traffic stop.

Shirk says it all comes down to making good decisions. If you are driving and you need to use your phone, load music into the infotainment system, or pull up a map, simply pull off the road while you are doing it.

Most new cars have cool infotainment systems that integrate wireless connectivity with cellphones, allowing drivers to send and receive verbal texts, make hands-free calls and issue voice commands to the music system.

They're billed as safety features but studies have suggested they might not be all that safe. Now, a new study from AAA says they're more dangerous than previously thought.

It's true these systems don't occupy your hands but they do take mind-share, and researchers say that's where the problem lies. Potentially unsafe mental distractions can for as long as 27 seconds after dialing, changing music or sending a text using voice commands, according to the research by conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

Growing safety problem

“The massive increase in voice-activated technologies in cars and phones represents a growing safety problem for drivers,” said Marshall Doney, AAA’s President and CEO. “We are concerned that these new systems may invite driver distraction, even as overwhelming scientific evidence concludes that hands-free is not risk free.”

To some experts, the research raises new and unexpected concerns about the use of phones and vehicle information systems while driving. It's the third phase of the Foundation’s investigation into mental distraction behind the wheel.

It shows that new hands-free technologies can mentally distract drivers even if their eyes are on the road and their hands are on the wheel.

“The lasting effects of mental distraction pose a hidden and pervasive danger that would likely come as a surprise to most drivers,” said Peter Kissinger, President and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “The results indicate that motorists could miss stop signs, pedestrians and other vehicles while the mind is readjusting to the task of driving.”

At the 25 MPH speed limit in the study, drivers distracted for 27 seconds traveled the length of nearly three football fields. When using the least distracting systems, drivers remained impaired for more than 15 seconds after completing a task.

What's a driver to think? Maybe to think twice about when and where you use these voice-activated features.

“Drivers should use caution while using voice-activated systems, even at seemingly safe moments when there is a lull in traffic or the car is stopped at an intersection,” Doney said. “The reality is that mental distractions persist and can affect driver attention even after the light turns green.”

Best and worst

Some hands-free systems are more distracting than others. The best performing system was the Chevy Equinox, with a cognitive distraction rating of 2.4.

The most distracting was the Mazda 6, with a cognitive distraction rating of 4.6.

Among phone systems, Google Now performed best with a distraction rating of 3.0, while Apple Siri and Microsoft Cortana earned ratings of 3.4 and 3.8.