SALT LAKE CITY — A new report indicates that some risks associated with teen drivers are underestimated in America.

And parents can play a role in reversing the trends.

"A lot of parents are really bad examples," said Randy Schreiter, a driver's education instructor at Highland High School. He said he's surprised at some of the parental behaviors students report, but also the lack of parental support for their teen drivers.

The stakes are high because information released Wednesday reveals that teens have the highest crash rate of any group in the United States, and distracted driving has emerged as a cause greater than previously thought.

In Utah, young drivers make up just 8 percent of the population but account for 20 percent of all the crashes in the state, said Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Todd Royce.

Nationally, 963,000 teen drivers were involved in police-reported motor vehicle crashes in 2013, which resulted in 383,000 injuries and 2,865 deaths, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, which funded and distributed the national report on Wednesday.

Cameras installed in vehicles gave investigators a front seat to the behaviors leading up to 1,691 crashes involving teen drivers mostly in the Midwest region of the country between August 2007 and July 2013. The video analysis showed that of the six seconds preceding a collision, an average of 4.1 seconds were spent looking away from the road.

"It's all sorts of distractions that are in the vehicle that can cause it," Royce said. "We're always talking about making sure that driving is your No. 1 priority while driving."

It turns out that distraction was not only a factor, but a key factor in 58 percent of the crashes involving drivers ages 16 to 19, according to the report. AAA revealed that distracted driving accounted for four times as many crashes as police records previously indicated.

"It's an effort we all have to be involved with," Royce said, of the need for parents and adults to be good examples behind the wheel. "A teen will drive differently with their peers in the car than with their parents in the car."

In Utah, drivers can qualify for a learner's permit at age 15. It's part of the graduated driver licensing laws in the state — a set of laws that help drivers gain experience before being exposed to high-risk situations, such as driving at night or driving with passengers.

During the first six months after teens get their licenses, they cannot have passengers other than immediate family in their vehicles. Under age 17, driving between midnight and 5 a.m. is prohibited.

Schreiter said it is important for teens to log as many hours as possible practicing in a safe environment with parents or another responsible adult in the car.

Teens can learn a lot from a diligent mentor, he said.

Distraction

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reported that distraction is a factor in 14 percent of all teen crashes, according to AAA.

The most common distractions seen in the more recent and much larger AAA study include passengers in the car and cellphone use.

"I try and not be a distraction, but it's hard," said Andrew Pegoretti, a Highland freshman in one of Schreiter's driver's education classes. While not yet a licensed driver permit, Pegoretti, 15, said he's learned it is better to not have friends in the car while driving.

"You have to do what you can to protect yourself," he said, adding, "I'm not stupid."

He knows teens have a higher propensity for accidents just by what he's observed among his peers. And he said he can understand why.

"I don't think anyone follows the rules," Pegoretti said.

Utah lawmakers this year stopped short of cutting off cellphone use completely in moving vehicles, keeping a less stringent law in place that prohibits touching and manipulating cellphones while driving. Calls and smartphone use at stop lights are legal.

A stronger seat belt law, however, did pass the Utah Legislature in 2015, making not wearing one a primary offense for which officers may issue a citation. Previously, a seat belt citation could only be issued following another moving violation.

Royce said enforcement is one of the Utah Highway Patrol's top priorities for safety. Education and improving car functions and roads are also a focus.

"They all play a role," he said.

Behaviors for prevention

Researchers at the University of Iowa who examined crash footage for the AAA study found that distracted drivers accounted for 58 percent of crashes overall, including 44 percent of loss-of-control crashes, 89 percent of road-departure crashes, 76 percent of rear-end crashes and 51 percent of angle crashes.

The teen drivers were found to have been driving too fast for conditions in 79 percent of single-vehicle crashes, following too closely in 36 percent of rear-end crashes and failed to yield to another vehicle in 43 percent of angle crashes, or those involving side-swiping another vehicle, according to the report.

The full report, as well as video of teen driver crashes, is available online at AAAFoundation.org.

Schreiter said the three most important things he teaches students are "always wear a seat belt, obey the speed limit and keep a good following distance."

"I tell them that should keep them out of most accidents," he said. Silencing their cellphones or employing an application that automatically sends a response to people trying to reach them are also habits Schreiter tries to teach new teen drivers.

The Utah Highway Patrol supports a national campaign for Zero Fatalities, minimizing fatalities on the roads, and AAA provides help for parents of teen drivers at teendriving.AAA.com.

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