Abstract
Young people continue to engage in risky behaviors for various reasons. Scholars continue to study the causes and reasons for such behaviors among the youth in order to define ways of controlling and possibly eliminating risky behaviors. The development of technologies used by adolescents for texting while driving leads to increasing the rates of accidents. There are also needs for the further research in the area to identify the factors that predispose the youth to demonstrate certain risky behaviors.
Research Design
Hypothesis: The development of technologies used by adolescents for texting while driving leads to increasing the rates of accidents.
Variables: The independent variable is the development of such mobile technologies as smartphones, iPhones, and iPads which is measured in the annual rate related to appearing new devices and models. The dependent variable is the rate of accidents among those adolescents who prefer texting while driving. The determined variables are related because the process of messaging while driving is discussed as one of the most important causes of the adolescents’ deaths as a result of car accidents.
The Main Findings from the Class Analysis: Many adolescents demonstrate the high level of distraction while driving because of messaging. Individuals note that the concentration of their attention decreases when they try messaging. Those adolescents who have the latest models of mobile devices with the access to the mobile Internet prefer texting while driving.
The first way to further explore the hypothesis is to expand the sample and focus on the youth data from different states instead of using the convenience sampling method. Another way explore the issue is to concentrate on gender differences. There are obvious differences in the behavior of males and females, including the extent to which they engage in risky behaviors. Such a step will narrow the research and provide opportunities to focus on differences in behaviors of male and female adolescents while driving.