US Teens Learn Bad Driving Habits from Parents

A study commissioned by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Students Against Destructive Decisions in the US has found that teenage drivers in the US tend to learn bad driving practices from parents. 

The survey of 1,700 teen drivers found that 86% reported that they had used a cell phone while driving, 94% admitted to speeding and 76% admitted to texting while driving.

In the survey, 48% said that texting while driving is the most dangerous activity behind the wheels, 17% said being under the influence, 16% said using a cell phone and 6% said passenger. 

"Your kids are always observing the decisions you make behind the wheel, and in fact have likely been doing so since they were big enough to see over the dashboard. You may think you only occasionally read a text at a stop light or take the odd thirty-second phone call, but kids are seeing that in a different way. Answering your phone once while driving, even if only for a few seconds, legitimizes the action for your children and they will, in turn, see that as acceptable behavior," said Dave Melton, a driving safety expert at Liberty Mutual.

The survey was conducted in 2009 but was not published until now. This may explain the high rate of cell phone use while driving. Speaking on a non-hands free phone was still legal in many more parts of the US at the time. 

Car accidents are the leading cause of death for people 15-19 in the US according to the Centers for Diseae Control.

Source: CNN