To accompany feature “Here’s what puts teen drivers at greatest risk of a crash”

SCIENCE

Before Reading: 

1.  Think about the times you’ve been in a car with an experienced driver. Then consider being in a car with someone who has had their driver’s license for less than a year. Do they drive differently? How so?

2.  Have you ever been in a car when someone has texted or made a phone call? How did that activity affect their driving?

During Reading: 

1.  How many teens died in U.S. car crashes in 2015?

2.  What three devices did Charlie Klauer’s team use to monitor teen drivers in its study?

3.  Why does Klauer say that texting or dialing a phone while driving is particularly dangerous?

4.  Why could using Instagram or Snapchat while driving be even more dangerous than texting?

5.  What is the difference between “gap” and “overlapping” trials?

6.  How long does it take to shift your focus from one object to another?

7.  Why is chatting while driving dangerous?

8.  How can personality affect a person’s driving habits?

9.  What personality type is most likely to stay off their phone while driving?

10.  Why does Klauer recommend that people put their phones in an inaccessible place while driving?

After Reading: 

1.  Imagine that you’re in a car with friends, one of whom is driving. The driver pulls out a phone to check a text message that has just come in. What do you do? What would you do if you were the driver of the car?

2.  Some phones can detect when their users are in a moving car and ask if they are driving before letting an app be used. Why might such a feature be a good thing? And why might it not be that successful at preventing distracted drivers?

3.  Working with a friend, devise three strategies to discourage distracted driving (in friends, family or others). Describe why you think it will work and make a poster to illustrate the primary idea you are recommending.