Parents Negatively Contribute Towards Teens’ Distracted Driving

Parents are responsible for distracted driving among teens with over 50 percent reporting they are generally talking to a parent while behind the wheel.

Distracted driving is hazardous and the message is clearly conveyed to almost every eligible driver around the world, thanks to the loud campaigns reaching out to everyone via different means. But there is a lack of implementation on a large scale, especially among teens.

A new research surveyed 400 teen drivers aged between 15 and 18 years. According to the findings, which were presented at the American Psychological Association's 122nd Annual Convention in Washington, DC, last week, parents played a major role in distracted teen driving with frequent calls and messages to their children.

The survey was conducted in 31 different states to find out why teens continue to talk and text while driving despite knowing the risks of distracted driving. Children learn from parents and some teens reported that their parents used cell phones while driving.

Forty three percent of learner licensees were found to abide by the law of not using the cell phone while driving. Out of the surveyed teens, 66 percent of the restricted drivers used the phone for either texting or calling. Among the unrestricted drivers, an alarming 87 percent were found to use phones while driving.

"Teens said parents expect to be able to reach them," Noelle LaVoie, PhD, a cognitive psychologist based in Petaluma, California, said in an APA news release. "Parents get mad if they don't answer their phone and they have to tell parents where they are."

LaVoie warns parents to understand the risk they pose by calling and texting their children while driving. She advised parents to first ask if their kid was driving and either ask for a call back or to pull over before continuing to talk.