Perception does not equal reality with teen drivers, according to a new study by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance in the journal Pediatrics.

Using the National Young Driver Survey, researchers studied more than 5,000 ninth- through 11th-graders from across the country to examine their attitudes about 25 risky driving situations. Teens identified the factors they perceived as most important in a safe driving situation, and then estimated how often they see their peers exhibit these behaviors. Their answers revealed important gaps in teens' understanding of factors that can lead to crashes.

"Teens revealed that our current messages about inexperience and distractions are missing the mark, and that different populations of teens face different risks when it comes to alcohol and speeding," said Kenneth Ginsburg, an adolescent medicine physician and lead author of the study. "It's up to parents, educators and policymakers to make sure teens receive the right messages to keep them safe, and this research tells us they need to hear very specific and actionable messages."

Armed with teens' input, the researchers created a list of prioritized areas for parents and educators to increase their efforts. These areas include delivering more specific messages about inexperience and distractions, along with reinforcing the hazards of speeding and alcohol use for certain groups of teens.

"This survey reinforces that teens need sufficient time to gain experience and build critical skills behind the wheel. Graduated driver licensing laws are one measure proven to address inexperience and distractions," said Laurette Stiles, vice president of strategic resources at State Farm.

Sixty percent of teens surveyed believe inexperience heavily influences safety, but only 15 percent consider their peers to be inexperienced. Focus group data from CHOP suggest teens judge experience based on driver licensure, rather than miles driven or exposure to difficult driving circumstances.

Although only one-quarter of respondents correctly view cell phone use while driving as very dangerous, the overwhelming majority of teens -- 79 percent -- recognize text messaging as a very dangerous behavior while driving. Additionally, most teens recognize that when cell phones trigger emotions, they pose a greater danger in the car.

Similarly, only 10 percent of teens correctly view passengers as potentially hazardous; however, many more acknowledge that certain passenger behaviors increase risk, such as "acting wild" -- 65 percent -- or encouraging the driver to speed -- 62 percent.

"Teens do not see their world in black and white; they see it in Technicolor," said Ginsburg. "Educational messages that address these many gradations of risk within distractions may resonate better with teens. We need to reinforce teens’ accurate perceptions of risk and correct any misperceptions."

The survey also found that certain teen populations are receiving insufficient education about risks, such as speeding and drinking and driving.

The survey also showed that ethnic disparities exist with regard to perception of and exposure to certain risks. Caucasian teens are more likely than Hispanic or African-American teens to see their peers racing or speeding and also do not rank these behaviors to be as risky.

On average, all teens reported rarely seeing their peers drink and drive. However, African-American and Hispanic teens viewed drinking alcohol while driving as less risky than did Caucasian teens. Moreover, African-American teens were somewhat more likely to report seeing peers drink and drive than were Caucasian teens.

"It’s important to acknowledge that specific sub-populations of teens are not receiving or are rejecting the current messages about these risky driving behaviors," said Flaura Winston, a co-author on the study. "Educators and advocates need to change their strategies to more effectively engage different populations of teens with the messages that they need to hear."