The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released a new study and compelling video evidence showing that distractions play a far greater role in car crashes involving teen drivers than previously thought.

The study analyzed nearly 1,700 videos that capture teen drivers in the moments before they crash their vehicle. The results show that 60 percent of moderate to severe crashes among drivers from 16 to 19 years old were caused by a distraction. This is four times more than previous estimates based on police reports.

Drivers in conversation with other passengers is the top factor behind car crashes involving teens, causing 15 percent of the wrecks. Meanwhile, cellphones were involved in 12 percent of those crashes, making it the second leading cause.

Video footage of the crashes repeatedly show teenagers losing control of the wheel after they take their eyes off the road for a few seconds. In accidents involving cellphone usage, drivers were distracted by their device for an average of 4.1 seconds in the moments before a crash.

"The findings of the AAA Report confirm what safety groups have suspected for a long time -- distraction is more severe and more common in teen driver crashes than previously found in government data," said Jackie Gillan, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, according to The Associated Press.

Likewise, the foundation's president and CEO, Peter Kissinger, said the videos provide "indisputable evidence" that distractions play a great role in crashes involving teen drivers.

"Access to crash videos has allowed us to better understand the moments leading up to a vehicle impact in a way that was previously impossible," said Kissinger in a press release. "The in-depth analysis provides indisputable evidence that teen drivers are distracted in a much greater percentage of crashes than we previously realized."

Related