By Josh Simeone J.Simeone@krdo.com
Follow me on Twitter at: www.Twitter.com/joshsimeone
COLORADO SPRINGS - A new study provides a startling look at how dangerous distracted drivers are on the roads.
The study from the Transportation Department found that nearly 6,000 drivers were killed last year in the United States because of a distracted driver. In addition, more than a half million were injured by distractive drivers.
The study looked into multiple types of distractions, including texting while driving, a longtime problem many states are working to reduce.
Teenaged drivers appear to be one of the highest age groups at risk, with the study showing that 16% of drivers under the age of 20 who were involved in fatal crashes appeared to be distracted while behind the wheel.
In Colorado, a ban on using a cell phone while in the car for teenage drivers takes effect by the end of the year.
Some teens say a bill isn't enough to convince them of the dangers.
With the help of Master Drive in Colorado Springs, NEWSCHANNEL 13 took the study a step further, and put a teenage driver to the test.
Jacque Cochell, 17, says she never texts while driving and tries not to talk on the phone either when on the road. She tells NEWSCHANNEL 13 and Master Drive general manager Mark Stolberg that she's experienced many distractions while driving in the past.
At Master Drive's closed driving course in El Paso County, and under the direct supervision of Stolberg, we put Jacque into a situation where she would be forced to swerve to avoid an accident while talking on her cell phone.
Using red lights, Jacque is instructed to swerve left or right based on which way the lights tell her to go - the lights will turn on at the last second prior to the swerve.
After a quick practice run, Jacque is put to the test: Mark calls her cell phone and asks her questions, all while she must swerve to the right to avoid hitting the cones.
Jacque (While driving): "Hello?"
Mark: "Okay, what's 65 times 65."
Her first run through the course while on the phone goes okay, however, Jacque admits she was distracted trying to answer Mark's math questions while navigating through the cones. Still, she manages to keep the car under control and avoid hitting any cones.
Her test is about to get a little more difficult, as Mark raises the stakes: the car's radio turned up, passengers talking in the back seat and a cell phone call while trying to swerve to the left or to the right.
Jacque: "Oh my gosh - Hello?"
Jacque admits she is stressed out and distracted as she navigates the car through the course.
"If you're texting and somebody blows out a tire or hits somebody, you can't react - your still in the moment of texting."
Even at a minimal speed of 30 miles per hour, driving on a closed course and while supervised; Jacque admits she gets a real dose of reality.
Find out tips for you and your child from Master Drive by clicking here to be taken to its website.
Read the report by clicking here to be taken to the Department of Transportation's official website.
