Abstract
Teenage drivers are over-represented in crashes when compared to other age group drivers. One of the major causes of traffic crashes by teenage drivers is due to distracted driving. Distracted driving can be defined as driving while doing another activity that takes driver's attention away from the primary tasks of driving. This paper assesses the hazards of distracted driving among teenage (15-20 years old) drivers in Kansas, by considering 5-year crash data from the Kansas crash and analysis reporting system (KCARS) database from 2011 to 2015. A multinomial logit modeling was used to identify the odds that a driver with a certain type of distraction would be involved in one of the three most common crash types: rear-end, angular, and single-vehicle crashes. According to the multinomial logit model findings, most distraction types for teenage drivers are related to rear-end or angular collisions. More specifically, teenage drivers that were distracted by cell phones, on roads with high speed limits, or at intersections were more probable to be involved in rear-end or angular collisions. However, when distracted by cell phones at nighttime, teenage drivers had a greater probability of being involved in single-vehicle collisions. In addition, if teenage drivers drove with their peers as front-seat passengers and distracted in/on vehicle or by other electronic devices, they were more likely to be involved in single-vehicle collisions. According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that distractions create threats to the lives of teenage Kansas drivers and their passengers as well as other road users.