Parents of Teens: Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Published on May 28, 2015 04:08 PM in Safe Driving

Parents beware. Your children are watching how you drive, and the results are collectively raising eyebrows in the traffic safety community.

So says a recent survey from the National Safety Council. More than 90 percent of parents who use their cell phones while driving do so when their teens are in the car. Yet, an almost equal number state they are one of their teens’ primary driving teachers.

“When it comes to teaching our teens to drive, ‘Do as I say, not as I do,’ can be fatal,” said Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “Parents who make calls or send texts behind the wheel are sending a clear and dangerous message to their children: that distracted driving is acceptable.”

According to NSC, the survey spotlights how parents need to break their own dangerous habits such as driving distracted. It also underscores parent’s role as a driving coach and the impact they have on their teens’ driving habits.

Parents know and understand some of the greatest fatal crash risks facing their teens, including the risks of driving with young passengers. Teens driving with other teens increases fatal crash risk at least 44 percent.

On a positive note, the survey showed more than half of parents prohibit their teens from driving with other teens. Yet, it also uncovered how most parents do not practice the kinds of good driving behavior expected of their children–a dangerous gap between how parents view their role and how they live it.

The NSC suggested the following resources for parents with teen drivers:

For information on how to become an effective driving coach, go to DriveitHOME.org. The site includes tips and driving lessons.
Share your family driving rules with your teen driver. Go to New Driver Deal, which offers parents a teen driving guideline.
Visit Steer Your Teen in the Right Direction presentation, developed by NSC in collaboration with the General Motors Foundation. The site offers a primer on teen driving.
Interested in getting involved as an advocate for better teen drivers? Go to the Teen Safe Driving Coalition, The NSC and The Allstate Foundation established Coalitions in California, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.