Why Are Teens Still Driving Distracted?

A recent study from Mass General Brigham paints a sobering
picture: teenage drivers spend about 1 in every 5 minutes behind
the wheel looking at their phones. Researchers surveyed over 1,100
teens nationwide and found that entertainment—like games, videos,
and social media—is the biggest culprit, outranking navigation or emergency calls.

What’s most alarming is that teens admit nearly a quarter of these
glances last two seconds or longer, long enough to drastically increase the risk of a crash.

Entertainment Takes the Wheel
The research, published in Traffic Injury Prevention, revealed that
65% of phone use was for entertainment, followed by texting (40%)
and navigation (30%). This suggests many teens are driven by
boredom rather than necessity when they reach for their phones.
“Distracted driving is a serious public health threat and particularly
concerning among young drivers,” said Dr. Rebecca Robbins of
Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “It puts everyone at risk—not just
the driver.”

Peer Pressure at Play
The study also highlighted a dangerous social trend: even though
most teens know distracted driving is risky, they believe “everyone
does it.” This peer pressure normalizes unsafe behavior and makes
it harder for teens to make safer choices.

Key Findings:
— Over 90% of teens admit to at least one form of distracted
driving each trip
— Most know it’s dangerous and believe parents and mentors
disapprove. Still, they see distracted driving as a normal part of teen life
— Many are overconfident about their ability to resist distractions,
even though the numbers say otherwise

Despite laws banning phone use for young drivers in many states,
distracted driving remains stubbornly common.

Changing the Culture: Hunter’s Fund in Action
At Hunter’s Fund, we’re working to change these dangerous
behaviors—one campus at a time. Through Safe Driving Weeks on
college campuses, we encourage students to sign pledges not to
drive distracted. Why a pledge? Because research shows that
making a pledge can change behavior 47% more effectively than
any other incentive.

So far, Hunter’s Fund has funded more than 200 Safe Driving Week
campaigns, with over 100,000 students signing our pledge. Each
signature is a step toward making safe driving the new normal—and
saving lives in the process.

How You Can Help
Talk with your family about the dangers of distracted driving. If
you’re a student, sign the pledge—and invite your friends and
parents to join you. Together, we can build a culture of safe driving,
one campus and one conversation at a time.