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Posted on Thu, Sep 27, 2012 : 5:08 a.m.

Toyota and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute launch teen driver distraction study

By AnnArbor.com Staff

At a Safety Research Forum Sept. 12, Toyota announced that it has teamed up with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to conduct a major new study of 5,600 teens and adults, the Teen Driver Distraction Study.

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Tina Sayer (left), Toyota Collaborative Safety Research Center principal investigator, and Jean Shope, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute researcher, discuss the Toyota Teen Driver Distraction Study at the Toyota Safety Research Forum in Washington, D.C. Sept. 12.

PRNewsFoto/Toyota

This scientific study is based on a national telephone survey of newly licensed drivers between ages 16 to 18 and parents of drivers in the same age group, making this one of the first studies to examine teen and parent driving behaviors in the same family.

The study will examine teen attitudes toward frequently discussed risks, such as texting and driving, to help identify effective recommendations to keep teen drivers safe.

Toyota's work on the Teen Driver Distraction Study is led by its Collaborative Safety Research Center, which was launched in January 2011 and based at the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor. To learn more about Toyota's Collaborative Safety Research Center, visit www.toyota.com/csrc.

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