Teen Driving Risks Underestimated By Parents Despite Safety Concerns

Motor conveyance crashes stay a starring origin of decease for teens and young adults, yet galore families whitethorn underestimate nan risks adjacent to home, suggests a caller nationalist poll.

One successful 3 parents interest their teen aliases young big driver could origin an accident, according to nan University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll connected Children's Health.

Yet, astir each parents judge their kid drives arsenic good arsenic aliases amended than different young drivers and comparatively fewer said they imposed consequences for their teen's unsafe driving behaviors.

"Our study suggests a disconnect betwixt parents' concerns astir risky teen driving and their assurance successful their ain child's skills down nan wheel," said Mott Poll Co-Director Sarah Clark, M.P.H.

Risky behaviors are common

The nationally typical study includes responses from 1,780 parents pinch children ages 16 to 25 surveyed successful February. Most parents study their teen aliases young big drives, and astir two-thirds opportunity their kid drives almost each day.

More than half of parents opportunity they person witnessed astatine slightest 1 unsafe driving behaviour by their child. Nearly half person seen fierce driving specified arsenic speeding aliases tailgating and 1 successful 4 person observed distracted driving, including texting aliases multitasking.

Another 17% of parents person seen their kid thrust while impaired, including while sleepy, emotionally upset aliases nether nan power of intoxicant aliases marijuana.

"Distracted, impaired and fierce driving are awesome contributors to crashes," Clark said. "Even behaviors that look minor, for illustration glancing astatine a telephone aliases driving while exhausted, tin importantly slow guidance clip and summation clang risk."

Parents of young adults ages 21 to 25 are much apt to study distracted aliases impaired driving than parents of teens ages 16 to 20.

Confidence outweighs concern

Despite these observations, 96% of parents complaint their child's driving arsenic mean aliases amended compared to peers. Only 4% opportunity their kid is simply a worse driver than others their age.

Even parents who person observed distracted aliases impaired driving thin to springiness their kid akin ratings to those who person not seen specified behaviors. And parents who person witnessed fierce driving were really little apt to complaint their kid arsenic a worse driver than peers.

"Many parents do not link risky driving behaviors to being a bully driver," Clark said. "Often, parents prosecute successful these aforesaid risky driving behaviors and whitethorn not position them arsenic dangerous."

Few parents return action

While 1 successful 3 parents definitive interest astir their young driver sharing nan road, only 1 successful 4 study taking steps to reside their child's driving behavior. Actions see installing monitoring devices, restricting driving privileges, refusing entree to a family car aliases threatening to extremity paying for car insurance.

Experts emphasize that parental engagement remains critical, particularly arsenic driver acquisition requirements alteration by authorities and immoderate let online instruction aliases do not require general driver's acquisition astatine all.

While astir states person hands-free laws and prohibit texting while driving, Clark notes, different distractions for illustration eating, grooming aliases interacting pinch passengers stay wide and risky.

As teens and young adults summation independency connected nan road, Clark encourages families to person ongoing conversations astir safe driving and to return concerns earnestly earlier a preventable calamity occurs.

"Parents are often nan astir influential driving instructors their teens will ever have," Clark said, "Setting clear expectations, modeling safe driving and enforcing consequences erstwhile needed tin make a existent difference."