The decisions that drivers make while behind the wheel affect the safety and lives of everyone else on the road. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teenage drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 pose a greater threat to motorists than any other age group. Their inability to make quick decisions while driving, in combination with several other factors, make teens in Tennessee and across the country more likely to be involved in a motor vehicle accident.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lists several factors that act as teenage driving hazards and contribute to the risk of auto accidents. These include:

•          Distraction from other passengers in the vehicle
•          Speeding
•          Drunk driving
•          Texting and talking on cellphones
•          Not wearing a seat belt

Since teens are novice drivers, many lack the ability to determine whether a situation is dangerous. Furthermore, their inexperience behind the wheel makes it difficult for them to know what to do if a hazardous situation should occur. For example, teenagers may be less likely to reduce their speed in icy weather conditions or put their cellphones down in order to concentrate on the road.

Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that the number of passengers teens have in the car while they are driving is directly linked to their risk of becoming involved in a fatal car accident. This is just one reason why Tennessee, and many other states across the country, place restrictions on teen drivers through a graduated driver’s license program. In some cases, teens must have an adult present in the car while driving and are restricted as to how many additional passengers they can have.

Fortunately, many car accidents are preventable. By understanding teen driving habits, people may be able to avoid becoming the next victim of a serious auto collision. 

Many new vehicles come equipped with voice activated technology, which is designed to minimize distractions that people face while driving in Tennessee and across the country. This technology allows drivers to accomplish certain tasks, such as dialing a phone number, texting or even switching the radio station, just by talking. While studies show that cognitive distractions from texting and talking on hand-held and hands free cellphones can increase a driver’s risk of becoming involved in an accident, further studies show that voice-activated technology presents certain dangers as well.

A study published by AAA looked at whether voice-activated systems really decreased driver distraction or actually acted as a diversion. Researchers measured the amount of mental workload participants experienced while performing several tasks using voice-activated technology. These tasks included the following:

•          Adding and modifying appointments on a calendar
•          Changing the radio station and playing a CD
•          Composing email and text messages
•          Dialing a 10-digit phone number
•          Listening to email and text messages read by a synthetic voice and a natural human voice
•          Updating social media statuses

Participants’ reaction time, heart rate and personal assessments were evaluated in order to determine the level of cognitive distraction they experienced while behind the wheel. Interestingly enough, the results indicated that all of the tasks were distracting to drivers on some level. However, flaws in certain systems led to an even higher level of cognitive distraction. For example, when the voice device did not recognize the driver’s command, the driver often became more distracted.

According to Distraction.gov, cognitive impairment is just one of three types of distractions that contributes to serious motor vehicle accidents. Although the introduction of hands-free and voice-activated technology hoped to limit driver distraction, studies show that these devices may present unintended distractions. Researchers suggest that once this technology is fine-tuned, it could actually improve driver safety. 

While it is against the law to text and drive in Tennessee, drivers are able to talk on hand-held cellphones with no legal repercussions. Many people, however, know that doing so is dangerous, and some people have turned to using hands free cellphones as a result. A study published by AAA found, however, that even hands free cellphones can pose a serious distraction to drivers and may increase the risk of a catastrophic car accident.

Participants in the study were asked to engage in several activities while using lab equipment, driving a simulator, as well as operating a vehicle equipped with monitoring instruments. These tasks included the following:

•          Listening to the radio
•          Talking with a passenger
•          Talking on a hand-held cellphone
•          Listening to an audiobook
•          Talking on a hands-free cellphone
•          Using a voice activated device

Researchers measured drivers’ following distance, brake reaction time, brainwave activity and eye and head movements while they were involved in the tasks.

Study results indicated that the distractive tasks affected drivers’ response time to road hazards and decreased motorists’ ability to see everything in their driving environment. While engaged in the various tasks, drivers’ showed decreased brain activity. This means that while people are engaged in other tasks that compete for their concentration, they are not able to fully focus on driving safely.

Similar cognitive distraction studies evaluated by the National Safety Council, show that even when drivers’ hands are on the steering wheel and eyes are on the road, they are still cognitively distracted and may be in danger of causing a motor vehicle accident. Anything that deters a motorist’s attention away from the task of driving can be dangerous to everyone on the road.  

While some elderly motorists in Tennessee have the ability to operate a vehicle without any cause for concern, others may pose an increased threat to other drivers on the road. As people age, certain medical conditions and changes in vision can make it difficult for them to react to certain driving hazards. Furthermore, the use of medications and slowed cognitive abilities can exacerbate this issue. As a result, many states have implemented programs that assess seniors’ driving abilities and determine whether they should be able to continue driving.

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, states may require elderly motorists to take vision tests, road tests and renew their licenses more frequently than younger drivers. In Tennessee, however, this is not the case. All drivers in the state must have their licenses renewed every five years under current laws. Drivers 60 years and older may have their registration fee reduced.

A new bill may require drivers over the age of 76 to have a vision test before renewing their driver’s licenses, as reported by the Times Free Press. Even if this bill passes into law, however, Tennessee may still be trailing behind other states when it comes to monitoring senior driving. According to state statutes and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Tennessee drivers who are required to renew their licenses may take the vision and written exams as many times as they need to until they pass.

Despite these renewal policies and proposed bills, some drivers are left to wonder if the roadways may be safer with stricter driver’s license guidelines for elderly motorists in the state.