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Teens learn the dangers of distracted driving

Posted at 8:19 PM, Sep 29, 2012
and last updated 2012-10-01 00:13:33-04

SALT LAKE CITY - Twenty percent of car crashes are caused by distracted driving, and that number goes way up when considering young, inexperienced drivers. Allstate Insurance gave some of those new drivers a hands-on chance to see the dangers of driving while distracted.

A closed course was set up at West High School in Salt Lake City to give teens and their parents a chance to experience what driving with distractions - texting, talking on a cell phone, loud radio and loud passengers - is like.

Cones and inflatables were set up along a course and teens had to try to navigate it without damaging any obstacles.

"You don't realize how hard it is until you're in this course," said Kenzie Jones, a teen driver who took the Safe Driving Challenge.

Teenagers and parents who took the Safe Driving Challenge say the course gave them an important lesson on the importance of driver and passenger safety.