Teens are constantly being told to not use their phone behind the wheel, but is this the same message they are being shown? Not according to a survey released by State Farm. In the survey, 61 percent of teens say their parents have been distracted by their cell phone or other electronic device at least once while they were in the car teaching them to drive. For 29 percent of teens, it’s happened more often.
Apparently, this trend is nothing new. Teens say it’s been happening for years and 54 percent of them say they’ve seen parents using a phone behind the wheel, “sometimes, often, or all the time.”
Laurette Stiles, Vice President – Strategic Resources at State Farm, says “These results are troublesome on multiple levels. Parents should know that how they handle themselves behind the wheel creates a powerful example for their teens – for better or worse. During practice drives, parents should be alert at all times to coach teens and serve as a second set of eyes. Being distracted even once while teaching not only sends the wrong message, it creates real dangers for those inside and outside the vehicle.”
The survey also asked about time learning behind the wheel and found 24 percent of parents felt they weren’t spending enough time with their teen learning to drive and 30 percent of teens felt they weren’t spending enough time learning to drive.