STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Today’s parents are modeling dangerous driving behaviors and teens are picking up their bad habits, according to a new study by a leading global insurance company. The study, conducted by Liberty Mutual, found that parents often check their phones while driving, speed, and even take selfies -- all while being observed by impressionable young drivers. It found that more than a third of parents – 37 percent – are using apps while driving. It also showed that 41 percent of adults use their cell phones while driving. The study uncovered that the primary reasons teens are using their phones while driving or when they are stopped at red lights are to respond to (47 percent) or contact their parents (44 percent). And, though parents urge their kids not to text while driving, they still admit to texting their children while the children are driving and expect a response, the study showed. “Parents are role models for their teen drivers and when the parent is the ‘rule breaker’ they are setting a bad example,’’ said Dr. Gene Beresin, executive director of The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital and a Liberty Mutual consultant. “I encourage parents and teens to set and agree upon boundaries together to help keep everyone safe on the road.” 'A DANGEROUS SITUATION’ The survey also found that 46 percent of teens and 41 percent of parents who use their phones while driving consider red lights and stop signs to be acceptable places to use their phone -- with 37 percent of teens and 34 percent of parents even considering it safe. “Whether it’s multi-tasking or texting, a seemingly quick glance away from the road – even when at a stop – can result in a dangerous situation,” said Mike Sample, lead driving safety expert and technical consultant at Liberty Mutual. “It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced parent driver or a new teen driver, you should always pull over and put your car in park before using your phone to avoid putting yourself and others at a greater risk of an accident or near miss.” And while 84 percent of parents said they change their behavior when their teens point it out, only 56 percent of teens said this is true, the study showed. Teens reported that parents used their own “experience’’ as the justification for their bad behaviors. Setting a good example, and enforcing the rules are key to rearing safe drivers, Beresin said, though more than a third of parents (37 percent) admitted to not enforcing punishments when their teens break a rule – or even the law. Thirty-eight percent of parents said they let the infractions slide because it’s an inconvenience to follow through.
Teenage drivers pick up risky driving habits from watching their parents, according to a study by insurer The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds. The research shows that 37% of parents use apps while driving and 41% of adults operate their mobile phone at the wheel. Young drivers reported that parents justified their bad driving by referencing their "experience", while 47% of teens claimed that the primary reason for texting while at red lights is to respond to their parents. The study demonstrates that when a parent breaks the rules while driving this sets a bad precedent for the children watching.