• Nine out of ten teenage drivers say they engage in at least one smartphone behavior while driving.
• Parents influence their teenage children. Teens whose parents use cellphones while driving were more likely to do the same.
• Teens report using phones while driving despite finding such activities distracting and believing they can increase the likelihood of a crash.
• Teens who have been in an accident have a higher tendency to use their phone when behind the wheel.
• Many teens reported driving a vehicle equipped with an advanced safety feature: automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, or lane keeping assist. These teens more likely engaged in distracted smartphone behaviors while driving than those who drove vehicles without safety features. Teens are comfortable taking their eyes off the road to focus on other tasks when the safety systems are active. This is a dangerous combination.

“Drivers who engage in distracting behaviors while behind the wheel are making the decision to put themselves, their passengers and other road users at risk,“ said Laurel Straub, Assistant Vice President of Enterprise Research at State Farm. “Unfortunately, this risk often leads to crashes, injuries, and fatalities. These tragedies are preventable.”

For teens, parents are an important role model in the car.

"Our data shows that teens who admit to using a smartphone while driving are more likely to have a parent or guardian who also uses a phone while driving,” Straub added.

When learning hands-on driving skills it's important to:

• Eliminate distractions when behind the wheel.
• Practice your driving skills with your parents.
• Enroll in drivers education courses. 
• Review state graduated drivers licensing laws.
• Establish restrictions, boundaries and curfews. 

Tips to avoid distractions while driving (not just for teens!):

• Put the phone away. Set it to send an automatic reply while driving – no texts, internet, selfies or social media.
• Adjust controls -  GPS, radios, air conditioning, or mirrors – before driving.
• If you must call, pull over and park in a safe place or ask your passenger to call.
• Always, always have your head in the game – drive safe.

More safety help is available. Our auto insurance discount programs like State Farm Drive Safe & Save^TM and Steer Clear^® help you save while also improving your driving habits. Steer Clear reinforces safe driving habits in young drivers under age 25.

*Source: ^{1, 2} National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; ³ Pew Research Center

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Nikhil Badlani, an 11 year old, sixth grader from West Orange, NJ, was an exemplary student and son. He was a talented musician and actor, he excelled in his studies, particularly in mathematics, and was loved by many. Sadly, his short, inspirational life ended abruptly when one driver made a poor decision.

On June 11, 2011, Nikhil and his father were traveling in their van, not far from their home. As they approached an intersection, their van was struck causing it to roll over. An oncoming car then hit the car a second time.

Nikhil’s father received treatment for injuries; however, Nikhil did not survive. The cause of the crash? A distracted driver. Failing to stop at the intersection, they blew right past a stop sign, striking the Badlani’s van.

Those few seconds changed the Badlani family and their community forever.

Shortly after the crash, friends poured out their hearts to express their sorrow.

“You were all I could ask for as a friend and more,” said one mourner.

“I miss you,” said a 6th grade classmate.

“You would’ve gone on to do spectacular things. I will never forget you,” another added.

Nikhil’s band teacher said, “You were a talented trumpet player, an aspiring actor, a leader and a scholar – straight A’s. Your band room cubby will remain vacant bearing your name tag.”

“After the funeral, when friends and family were gathered at our home, devastated by the tragedy, Nikhil’s uncle suggested we start a foundation in Nikhil’s memory,” said Nikhil’s mother, Sangeeta Badlani.

“Education and traffic safety awareness became our number one goal, but because of Nikhil’s love of music, we also wanted to provide free music lessons to need-based students,” Sangeeta continued. “The West Orange Fine Arts Department Supervisor supported our idea and has been our partner since the inception of the Foundation.”

In July of 2011, Sangeeta formed the Nikhil Badlani Foundation.

Sixth through twelfth grade West Orange students who display musical talent and promise, but have financial limitations, are eligible for the Music for Nikhil program. Each week, the program provides hour-long sessions at no cost to need-based students and at a reduced cost for others. Since its first year, the initiative has from 20 students to 53.

“Nikhil loved to play his trumpet, and a few weeks before the accident had been accepted to play in the Youth Orchestra of Essex County Orchestra,” said Sangeeta. “He was so excited about starting trumpet lessons. His first lesson was to be held on June 15. Sadly he never got to realize his dream.”

To support local students further, the Foundation created the Nikhil Badlani Scholarship program, which provides monetary awards to West Orange High School seniors who demonstrate academic achievement, good character, artistic ability, and community involvement, in addition to financial need. “We had four scholarship winners this year,” said Sangeeta, “and we were able to give them $2,000 each toward their college careers. Selected students are not only chosen for their strong academic performance, but also their involvement in music and/or drama.”

Aiming to develop a fun, creative and impactful way to educate teens on driver safety, the Foundation started the Traffic Safety Artwork Project. With the help of supporters like State Farm Insurance, the Foundation helps students brainstorm what traffic safety looks like to them. The students then translate their ideas into sketches for inclusion in a final artwork.

With the help of local artist Cindy Klein, the artwork is transformed into colorful murals – some as big as 6X6 feet - to be displayed at the school and/or public places, such as town libraries, shopping plazas, or rest areas. This year for National Youth Traffic Safety Month, New Jersey Transit buses, light rails and train stations throughout Essex County displayed posters of the artwork.

Through the duration of the program, the Foundation visits students a minimum of three times, providing teen driver safety education while the students create their projects.

“Nikhil spoke very passionately about how some drivers did not respect the rules of the road,” said Nikhil’s father, Sunil Badlani. “A few hours before on the day of the accident, Nikhil had commented on how a driver was speeding and weaving. His loss cannot be in vain and should be an awakening to all drivers on the road.”

Teens feel a mix of emotion when they first sit behind the wheel. Throughout the learning process, parents check in with teens, asking:

• How do you feel behind the wheel?

• How did you feel driving on the highway?

• Are you ready to try parallel parking?

What we often forget is to ask moms and dads how they are feeling about this parenting milestone.

“My middle daughter was a lead foot and wanted to jump in with both feet – on the accelerator. She literally scared me half-to-death!” said Maryland resident Andrea Sanford. Andrea’s youngest daughter, however, was the exact opposite. “She was extremely fearful, had very little confidence, and would even pull over and simply stop driving when overwhelmed.”

Teens look up to their parents when learning to drive. A 2012 State Farm^® Harris Survey found 69 percent of teens trust their parents the most when it comes to driving information. In contrast, less than half of parents were well prepared to teach driving. In the majority of cases, both parents and teens reported that at best, parents were only somewhat prepared to teach their teens to drive.

As the main driving resource for teens, parents need to be equipped with the right tools to do the job. Beyond just following the rules of the road and practicing safe driving behaviors, parents must also feel comfortable in the role of teacher.

“In retrospect, I wish there was someone who could have trained me to better prepare them (their teenage kids) for the responsibilities and dangers of driving,” said Andrea.

Eliminating Driver Error by Teaching the Teacher

To help parents during this important time in their teen’s lives, one Maryland non-profit is launching a course for parents. “We’ve taught teens how to drive for 12 years,” said Drive2Survive Founder, Eric Espinosa. “But there isn’t a similar course to help parents through this milestone.”

Drive2Survive aims to reduce automobile crashes and fatalities by reducing driver error through training, education, research and advocacy.

Through a grant, State Farm helps teens with the cost to participate in the Drive2Survive program. The relationship grew as Drive2Survive participated in Celebrate My Drive, a teen driver safety initiative sponsored by State Farm.

“This program looks to address lack of skill and experience, a major component in many teen crashes,” said State Farm Public Affairs Specialist Anna Bryant. “Programs such as this give teens additional information to help them become better and safer drivers.”

“Most accidents are not accidents,” says Eric. “They are crashes caused by driver error and distractions/or neglect in training.”

To reduce errors and distractions, young drivers must learn how to react in emergencies where “normal” driving skills aren’t enough.

Explaining the need for the program, Eric recalls, “After having three teens attend the class after almost getting into a serious crash with their family members in the car, a light bulb went off.”

To address this issue, Drive2Survive created a class especially for parents. The class will walk parents through a variety of steps, including how to teach teens proper form, the impact of weight and balance and its effect on traction and control, and other safe driving behaviors.

The final exam will consist of driving on a road course with a new teen-driver that is not their own. The test will allow parents to test their new skills under the watchful eyes of a staff instructor.

“But we can’t teach everything during our one-day class. It requires parents continue to follow up on the skills teens learn to reinforce potentially lifesaving behaviors, “ says Eric.

Keeping the Conversation Going

The class is a great platform to start the dialogue between teens and parents about the driving journey. After teens receive their license, there is a sharp decline in parent and teen interactions about driving despite the fact the first year after receiving a license brings the highest lifetime crash risk. Teens who have just a learner’s permit are two times more likely than teens with licenses to report they talk very often with their parents about driving.(46% to 22%).

One way parents can continue the conversation is through the State Farm Road Trips® tool. This “one-stop shop” provides parents with safe driving teaching techniques in manageable pieces. The web-based tool helps parents build practice drives and log their teen’s progress.

Whether parents take a class or utilize an online tool, it’s important parents teach teens the skills necessary to help them handle many of the situations they might face while driving.

“It was my job as her parent to protect her by ensuring she would gain the skills and experience necessary to help her survive,” said Andrea. “The information and experience she received gave her confidence and assured me that I’ve prepared her as much as possible.”

17-year-old Jane Modlesky was the funniest and sweetest person they had ever known, her friends and family said. About to enter her senior year at Glastonbury High School in Connecticut, Jane was a top-performing scholar and volunteer.. She was also a high performingan athlete, competing incompete select Lacrosse teams and tournaments.

“Everyone knew Jane,” shared her best friend, Audrey Apanovitch. “Whenever she met someone, they instantly became friends. Everyone looked up to her, including me. She was one of a kind.”

Sadly, on July 14, 2013, the unfortunate decisions of several young people cut Jane’s life short.

After leaving a party, Jane and four other teenagers got into a car, taking turns driving to their respective homes. Jane was the last to take the wheel, although she was in no condition to drive. A half mile later, Jane crashed into a tree and died.

“When I learned of Jane’s crash, I was in a state of shock,” explains Jane’s mother, Cammi Modlesky. “You never think it’s going to happen to your family. I trusted my daughter immensely and this type of behavior was not the norm for Jane. She had so much potential, had so much to live for, and was loved by so many.”

As Audrey watched her tight-knit community come to terms with everything, she noticed a need for increased education on Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) teen driver safety laws. Hoping to fill this gap, she founded Be the Key.

With help from Connecticut Children’s Medical Center researchers, Audrey examined high school student parking passes. She learned 88% of parking pass applications did not outline GDL laws.

Audrey realized, while many knew these laws existed, few knew all of the guidelines. In Connecticut, for instance, new drivers are restricted from driving with passengers, other than parents or instructors, for the first six months.

“Glastonbury students must now sign up for Be the Key to earn the privilege of parking at the high school,” says Audrey. “They agree to follow the laws, such as being home by curfew and not driving with too many passengers. There’s also a passenger section, where applicants pledge to not distract drivers.”

Approximately 700 students participated this year.

The student board of Be the Key has also prompted discussions on teen driver safety education. They even added a lesson about GDL laws to the sophomore health class. Additionally, the school now gives driving students color-coded hang tags which serve as a visual reminder of their GDL status restrictions.

“Some may look at these laws as restrictions on their freedoms, but they’re really about good life choices and keeping us safe,” Added Audrey.

“Audrey has taken a courageous stand,” says Cammi. “Before Jane died, there was a lot of misunderstanding about safe driving issues. Audrey knows the positive impact of GDL laws and isn’t afraid to let her voice be heard. It’s unfortunate it’s taken the tragic death of my daughter to make others stand up and take notice.”

Looking to expand Be the Key throughout Connecticut, Glastonbury High School took part in State Farm’s Celebrate My Drive (CMD) program. CMD was designed to celebrate new teen drivers and encourage smart choices behind the wheel.

Many plans are in progress to encourage awareness, including a community kick-off event featuring bands, local celebrities, obstacle courses, free food, a large social media push, and even assistance from across the pond.

Be the Key’s Celebrate My Drive committee reached out to and confirmed support from the mayor of their “sister city,” Glastonbury, England. Additionally, Audrey and other Board members will speak with the entire student body the first day of National Teen Driver Safety Week to encourage their safe driving commitments.

“My cousin, who also lost a child, once used the analogy that young people, because of their inexperience, don’t have back roads; they only travel on superhighways,” adds Cammi. “After seeing how Glastonbury High School’s students had to grow up so quickly after Jane’s death, I realized they now have the experience of back roads.”