Kellie Wright of West Jordan talks with her daughter, Sara Weymouth, 15, about how to drive an automobile safely.
Tom Smart, Deseret News
Parents are often poor role models when it comes to driving. They text, talk on the phone, speed and even drive while impaired by drugs or alcohol. That's especially bad news because parents are the biggest influence on how kids drive — and crashes are the No. 1 cause of teen death.
A survey of 1,700 high school seniors and juniors nationwide, conducted last year for Liberty Mutual Insurance and Students Against Destructive Decisions, found high correlation between what teens do behind the wheel and what they've watched their parents do.
Two-thirds of teen drivers said their parents "live by different rules" than they tell their teens they expect them to obey. That disconnect can be hazardous, experts said.
"I don't think there's any doubt, whether it's driving or social life in general. They develop bad habits from the parents, with whom they spend 98 percent of the time they're in a car," said Lynn Moncur, the athletic director at Brighton High School who has been teaching driver's education for 26 years. "I'll ask questions. Do your parents look right when they turn right? No."
By the time teens turn 16 and get a license, "Mom and dad are tired of driving them around. They hand over the keys with a 'Be careful, be careful. Do what you're supposed to do,'" Moncur said.
Often, he said, they instead do what they've seen.
A barrage of examples
Kellie Wright is acutely conscious of that as her daughter, Sara Weymouth, watches her more closely even than before. Sara, 15, will get her license this year. And she's soaking up what she sees as she rides with others.
"I try not to talk on the phone when she's in the car," said Wright, of West Jordan.
Sending kids confusing signals about the dos and don't of driving puts them at risk, experts caution. Worldwide, nearly 1.5 million people are killed each year in vehicle crashes. Nationally, 33,808 people died in traffic fatalities in 2009, the last year for which a complete count is available. In Utah, 233 people died in crashes last year. Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death not only for teens, but for children 4 and older.
20 Sep, 2012
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Source: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765605427/Parents-set-poor-driving-example-for-teens-with-sometimes-dire-results.html
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