Parents Bad Role Models for Young Drivers

In a survey of more than 2,200 teens and their parents, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. found that teens tend to model their driving habits on what they see Mom and Dad do behind the wheel. Apparently, parents aren’t doing a very good job.

More than 80 percent of teens say they pay attention to what their folks do, and 85 percent of parents say they promote safety by driving safely themselves, with 50 percent of parents insisting they always drive at or below the speed limit. The teens response: Phooey — Mom and Dad speed 80 percent of the time.

More than half the teens surveyed said that rather than focusing on driving, parents argue, yell at other drivers, read the paper, chat on cell phones, send text messages, read email, fail to wear their seat belts and, worst of all, drink while driving.

“The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has found that parents with traffic violations or who’ve been in crashes are more likely to have teen drivers with violations or crashes,” said Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research at IIHS. “When it comes to learning good driving habits, parents matter.”

Time for parents to practice what they preach. Considering the fact that more than one-third of all teen deaths are the result of traffic accidents, the survey is more than a bit alarming. Ironically, Illinois just passed legislation this week to increase the number of hours parents must devote to teaching their kids to drive.