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(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) – Santa Barbara County students with Lompoc High School and Bob Forinash Day School, Friday Night Live (FNL), engaged in a statewide youth-led data collection effort to identify occurrences of distracted driving near their schools on a recent morning before school. Youth observed more than 100 drivers and reported more than 326 incidents of distracted driving in the West College Ave and Laurel Ave areas near school in Lompoc.
Distracted driving is a crucial concern for Californians and was reported as the biggest traffic safety concern in a statewide 2021 Public Opinion Poll.1 Distracted driving includes anything that takes your eyes, hands, or mind away from the task of driving. For youth in California, this issue is especially pertinent. Among drivers ages 15-20 involved in fatal crashes, 6% were distracted at the time of the crash. 2 Distracted driving not only affects those behind the wheel, but also those who share our roadways. The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) found that in 2022, over 18% of people killed by distracted drivers were not in vehicles; they were pedestrians, pedalcyclists, or otherwise outside vehicles.
Students with FNL participated in Roadwatch, an action research and data collection project administered by the California Friday Night Live Partnership (CFNLP). A total of 30 FNL chapters from 16 counties across California participated in Roadwatch. The CFNLP organizes Roadwatch as an annual opportunity to drive home the importance of eliminating distractions while driving among adult and teen drivers. They observed a lack of driving focus ranging from using handheld devices such as cellphones to eating and drinking, to loud music, to personal grooming activities. There was even one incident of an automobile accident due to both drivers being distracted and five incidents of distracted drivers due to their pets being in the vehicle.
FNL is a statewide program that builds partnerships for positive and healthy youth development and engages youth as active leaders and resources in their communities. Driven by a desire to improve traffic safety in their neighborhoods, students compiled these startling statistics from dozens of vehicle observations. Students found that the top distractions were not surprising but could easily be avoided through increased education and awareness.
Top Distractions Reported
- Talking to passengers: 767 Average of incidents per site: 25.6
- Use of a handheld device (such as a cellphone): 859 Average of incidents per site: 28.6
- Eating or drinking: 486 Average of incidents per site: 16.2
Not Just Cellphones
Additional driving distractions observed by recent Roadwatch participants:
- Personal grooming: 328 Average of incidents per site: 10.9
- Reaching for an item: 173 Average of incidents per site: 5.8
- Loud music: 163 Average of incidents per site: 5.4
- Smoking or vaping: 580 Average of incidents per site: 19.3
Young people know that their research can help to create the positive changes their communities need to stay safe. The youth in Santa Barbara County FNL are no stranger to driving local change. In 2023/2024, Lompoc High School FNL launched a positive social norms campaign to reduce underage drinking and presented their efforts to the local school board to raise awareness on underage drinking prevention to support a safer community.
Ashley Coelho, Lompoc High School FNL Advisor states, “I think this is an eye-opening experience for our students and I appreciate that this organization brings up awareness to distracted driving. Our students learn a lot about how little it takes to be a distracted driver and they were shocked to witness as many incidents as they did.”
To learn more about County of Santa Barbara Department of Behavioral Wellness, please visit https://www.countyofsb.org/274/Behavioral-Wellness. For assistance accessing Behavioral Wellness services, call the 24/7 toll free Crisis Response and Services Access Line at (888) 868-1649.