New Survey Finds Teens Who Drive Dangerously Learn From Parents

Distracted driving is a growing problem on our roadways, with over 3000 deaths and 400,000 injuries in the United States in 2010.  The problem is especially dangerous amongst teen drivers, where distracted driving has been attributed to 11% of all fatal crashes involving teen drivers.  Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for teens in the US, and statistics show that drivers ages 16-19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A recent survey commissioned by Liberty mutual Insurance and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) supports this position, showing that the majority of the 1,700 teens survey admitted to making poor decisions while behind the wheel.
Nine out of ten said that they talked on their cell phone while driving and 94 percent admitted to speeding.  A majority of these teen respondents said their parents practiced “do as I say, not as I do” rules when it came to driving.
This study reinforces what we already know.  Parents need to be a good influence on their children and practice what they preach as it pertains to cell phones and driving.  If you are the parent of a teen driver, understand that the dangers are very real and have an honest and open conversation with your teen.  As Car Accident Lawyers, we see the devastating effects of distracted driving on an almost daily basis.