Association between frequency of cell phone use while driving and adolescent driver motor vehicle crashes

Motor vehicle crashes represent the leading cause of death among adolescents, and cell phone use while driving (CPWD) is a dangerous distraction for adolescent drivers. CPWD distractions can compromise driver performance and reduce road users' safety. The National Young Driver Survey (NYDS) is a cross-sectional survey of adolescent driver behavior conducted in 2006 among a nationally representative sample of 9-11th graders in 68 public high schools across 34 states (n = 5,665). Analysis was restricted to those with a junior or unrestricted license and who owned a cell phone (n=1,521). We examined the association between self-reported frequency of CPWD and crash occurrence as drivers within the past year. CPWD frequency was positively associated with crash occurrence. Adolescents who reported “rarely or never” engaging in CPWD reported the lowest crash frequency, 13.3% [95% CI:8.9–19.4], followed by those “sometimes or occasionally” engaging in CPWD, 22.3% [95% CI:18.6–26.4] and those “often or always” engaging in CPWD, 32.0% [95% CI:25.2–39.7]. Compared to adolescents who “rarely/never” engaged CPWD, adolescents who “sometimes or occasionally” and “often or always” engaged in CPWD were more likely to report a crash [OR:1.87 (1.06–3.30)] and [OR:3.08 (1.91–4.96)], respectively. Findings illustrate the dangers of CPWD for road users and need for intervention. CPWD bans are increasingly being adopted across the U.S. at the local and state level; however, some question about the actual role of cell phone use in crashes remains in the public dialogue. This data demonstrates the significant relationship between CPWD and crash risk.