Young drivers share innovative ideas to combat distracted driving at road safety event

With distracted driving posing a serious threat to the safety of both motorists and pedestrians, young drivers are sharing their ideas on how to reduce road collisions and fatalities related to it.

CTV News spoke with participants at the annual Ford Driving Skills for Life event Saturday outside the WFCU Centre.

The program provides participants — many of whom have recently acquired their driver’s licence — with hands-on experience in hazard recognition, vehicle handling and avoiding distractions or impairment.

Sierra Coulter, 16, has been a licensed driver for three months. She said she’d like to see newer cars equipped with locks on the centre console where people could secure their mobile devices.

"You put your phone in and it only unlocks when the car is fully stopped and parked," she said.

When asked how often she notices her friends driving while distracted, Coulter said it's "pretty frequent."

"I feel like having a lock for your phone would reduce the percentage of accidents caused by distracted driving," she said.

Her 17-year-old brother Dakota Coulter, who got his licence in July 2023, believes distracted driving isn’t just limited to small screens on mobile devices.

"I think we should remove the large screens in cars. They're so low and cause too much of a distraction with things like notifications and music. Instead, let's get rid of the screens and raise where the radio is," Dakota said.

"That way, if you look up at your dash, you can still see the road in your peripheral."

Participants in the Ford Driving Skills for Life program also take part in an in-car scenario focused on distracted driving.

A "passenger" may ask the driver to pull out their phone to search for directions, touch the steering wheel while the vehicle is moving, or turn up the radio to distract the driver with loud music.

"This showed me that when you're distracted, you really can miss the smallest things," said Dakota.

"I see that with apps like Spotify and Apple Music, distracted driving is more common because people are always trying to change a song. They get distracted by even the smallest sound."

One key takeaway for Griffin Crowley, who started driving three months ago, was learning how easily a car can veer off course due to minor changes in a driver’s line of sight.

"Your hands tend to go where your eyes go. So if you're looking to the side [at your phone], sometimes your hands will drift and you could swerve off the road," said the 16-year-old Crowley.

Richard Carder, also 16, said he understands how easily a phone can be a distraction while driving.

Because of this, he’s calling on phone companies to take stronger measures in their safety protocols.

"Right now, phones will warn you not to use them while driving. I feel like, instead of warning you, it should just not let you use your phone at all," Carder said.

"You shouldn't be able to access most apps on your phone while driving. If you're in park, you can [open] whatever you want. But if you're driving, you shouldn't be able to touch your phone."