|
"Practice what you
preach!" Far too often we hear parents reciting
this phrase to their children as a model to live by.
Well, now it's time for parents to do exactly what they are
trying to instill in their children. The following is an
article from the Insurance Journal in their September issue by
an undisclosed author that talks about the driving habits of
parents and their affects on their children.
Teens Follow Lead of
Parents in Driving Habits
High school and middle school
students overwhelmingly say their parents are or will be the
biggest influence on how they drive, but the practices many
teens say they are emulating represent some of the most risky
driving behaviors, according to the 2004 Liberty
Mutual/Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) Teen
Driving Study.
Nearly 60 percent of high
school students say their parents are the biggest influence on
their driving, and 69 percent of middle school students say
parents will be the biggest influence when they do drive,
according to the study.
"So when we engage in
unsafe driving behaviors, it's no wonder they are inheriting
our bad habits behind the wheel," commented Liberty
Mutual Executive Vice President Paul Condrin.
Almost two-thirds (62 percent)
of high school teens surveyed by Liberty Mutual and SADD say
their parents talk on a cell phone while driving. Almost half,
48 percent, say their parents speed, and 31 percent say their
parents don't wear a safety belt.
Not surprisingly, given the
survey's finding that many young drivers are influenced by
their parents driving habits, teens say they now follow, or
expect to follow, these same practices in roughly the same
percentages when they become drivers:
• Sixty-two percent of high
school drivers say they talk on a cell phone while driving,
and approximately half of high school teens who do not yet
drive (52 percent) and middle school students (47 percent)
expect they will engage in this behavior when they begin
driving.
• Sixty-seven percent of high
school drivers say they speed. Interestingly, most high school
teens (65 percent) who do not yet drive and middle school
students (79 percent) say they would not speed once they got
their license.
• Thirty-three percent of
high school drivers say they do not wear their
safety belt while driving. High
school students who do not yet drive (28 percent) and middle
school students (20 percent) are less likely to believe they
will drive while not wearing a safety belt.
"It is critically
important that parents set the example they wish their
children to follow. Parents should not be afraid to establish
expectations for their young drivers, discuss those
expectations frequently, and ensure they are being met,"
said Stephen Wallace, SADD chairman.
"Five years of Liberty
Mutual and SADD research repeatedly shows that teens who have
regular communication with their parents about expected
behaviors are less likely to make destructive decisions."
Parental influence on teen
drivers may help explain a clear disconnect between how teens
view themselves as drivers and their actual driving habits.
Nearly nine out of 10 teens (89
percent) describe themselves as safe drivers. Yet many
reportedly engage in risky behaviors that often lead to
crashes, including speeding, neglecting to use safety belts
and talking on a cell phone.
What's more, many teens don't
view these behaviors as dangerous, again suggesting that they
believe they are safe because their parents drive the same
way:
• Twenty-seven percent of all
high school students and 33 percent of middle school students
think speeding is safe.
• Twenty-five percent of all
high school students and 29 percent of middle school students
say driving without a safety belt is safe.
• Twenty-four percent of high
school students and 32 percent of middle school students say
talking on a cell phone while driving is safe.
"The inability among teens
to appreciate how unsafe their common driving behaviors are is
alarming, yet not surprising, given the fact that parents and
other influencing adults exhibit the same dangerous
habits," said Kathryn Swanson, chair of the Governors
Highway Safety Association.
Poor driving habits
Government and institutional data illustrate the poor driving
habits of many in the U.S.:
• Speeding - According to the
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, speeding is a factor
in 31 percent of all fatal crashes, killing an average of
1,000 Americans each month, and the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports speeding is involved in
37 percent of all young driver deaths.
• Safety Belt Use - Nearly
four in five drivers (79 percent) in the U.S. wore their
safety belts in 2003, according to NHTSA, yet safety belt use
was only 60 percent in vehicle crashes involving fatalities.
NHTSA estimates safety belt use by drivers and occupants saved
more than 14,000 lives that year.
• Cell Phone Use - While cell
phone use as a cause of distracted driving-related accidents
is not extensive, NHTSA says drivers in a self-reported study
estimated nearly 300,000 crashes from 1998-2002 were the
result of cell phone use.
|