Second study finds teens learn driving habits from parents

Another study has come out showing teen drivers take most of their cues from their parents’ driving habits. The 2004 Liberty Mutual/SADD Teen Driving Study finds almost 60% of high school drivers say their parents are the biggest influence on their driving habits. This follows a similar study conducted by Toronto-based “I Promise Program” in which driving instructors named parents as the number-one influence on teen drivers. A full 62% of teen drivers say their parents drive while talking on the cellphone, 48% admit their parents speed, and 31% say their parents do not wear a seatbelt.
The study found bad habits already creeping into teen driving behavior. Of teens, 62% admit to talking on the cellphone while driving, while 67% admit to speeding and 33% admit to not wearing a seatbelt. Ironically, 89% of teens say they are safe drivers despite these behaviors. “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.”