Teens Copy Parents' Bad Driving Habits

A new survey from Liberty Mutual Insurance and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) finds an alarming percentage of teens report their parents have risky driving behaviours.  Even more concerning is that the surveyed teens repeat their parents' poor driving habits.

The survey was based on focus groups held in Boston and Atlanta earlier this year involving 1,700 teens.

	Parent bevaviour (observed by teens)	Teen behaviour (self-reported)
Talking on phone while driving	91%	90%
Speeding	88%	94%
Texting while driving	59%	78%
Driving without seatbelt	47%	33%
Driving and drinking	20%	15%
Driving under marijuana	7%	16%

Given the high percentage of teens who report their parents engage in unsafe driving behaviour while their teen is in the car, it follows that two-thirds (66 percent) of teen drivers report their parents live by different rules than the ones they expect of their teens.  These findings highlight the need for parents to realize how their teens perceive their actions.

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