Study: Girls' driving behavior doubly bad

Teen girls are twice as likely as boys to use cellphones and other electronic devices while driving, according to researchers who analyzed in-car video clips of American teen drivers' behavior.

Electronic devices were the most common type of distracted driving behavior for both genders, but there were a number of other types of distractions, the study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found.

"Cellphones, texting, personal grooming, and reaching for things in the car were among the most common distracting activities found when cameras were put in new teen drivers' cars," President and CEO Peter Kissinger said.

"This new study provides the best view we've had about how and when teens engage in distracted driving behaviors believed to contribute to making car crashes the leading cause of death for teenagers," he added.

Older teens were more likely to engage in distracting behaviors while driving, which suggests that these behaviors increase as teens get more comfortable behind the wheel, the researchers said.

Along with being twice as likely as male teens to use an electronic device while driving, teen girls were nearly 10 percent more likely to engage in other distracted behaviors. Girls were nearly 50 percent more likely than boys to be reaching for an object and nearly 25 percent more likely to be eating and drinking.

Teen drivers using electronic devices took their eyes off the road for an average of one second longer than those who didn't use the devices.

"A second may not seem like much, but at 65 mph a car travels the length of a basketball court in a single second," Kissinger said. "That extra second can mean the difference between managed risk and tragedy for any driver."

-- HealthDay