Whether it’s texting, blaring the music, or joking with your friends in the car, driving is full of distractions for a teenage driver. These, along with the lack of experience, have proved to be a disastrous combination.

According tot the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for American teenagers. When over 6,000 deaths occur due to automobile accidents each year, people wonder what factors cause these fatalities. According to junior Margaret Schorgl, today’s teens are subjected to a multitude of distractions brought about by the pressures and technologies of modern society.

“Teens have to juggle a lot of things these days at school, home, and everywhere. So they feel as if they can multi-task in the car, too, when they should really be giving their attention to the road,” Schorgl said.

Last year, Schorgl saw this inattentiveness herslef when a 19-year-old driver was distracted by her GPS and crashed into Schorgl’s car. She was not on a busy street, but turning into her neighborhood.

“My crash terrified me. It truly changed my outlook of driving,” Schorgl said. “I am a much more defensive driver and now I definitely look behind me when I turn to watch out for drivers who aren’t paying attention.”

Bill Straeter, driving instructor of 14 years and owner of Buggin’ and Cruisin’ Driving School, finds that many teen car accidents are caused by the overconfidence of new drivers. In his opinion, replacing this confidence with defensive driving habits will create safer roads and reduce the amount of adolescent crashes.

“Often teenagers let confidence come before skill,” Slater said. “They are used to watching others drive, and when their time comes, they expect to be able to do it with expertise. That along with distractions can be fatal.”

Over 90 percent of teens admit to doing multiple tasks while driving, even when they acknowledge they find it distracting, according to DoSomething.org.

But for many teens who have experienced crashes firsthand, these incidents have changed the way that they act on the road. Senior Maggie McLiney said that she is more careul since her accident last year on Ward Parkway. While driving to school one morning, McLiney was surprised by a car without taillights who abruptly stopped in the middle of the road. She could not stop in time and rearended the other vehicle.

“I have become a much more defensive driver,” McLiney said. “I don’t drive so close to people, do not text, I  pay attention and focus on the road.”