Do As I Say, Not As I Do: Parents Are New Rule Breakers On The Road, Study Says

When it comes to family dynamics, parents are the ones that enforce the rules, especially when dealing with teen drivers. Not only are they helping these new drivers learn the rules of the road, but they should also be the ones showing them the right way to do it. However, that is not always the case, as this survey shows parents seem to be the new rule breakers on the road!

No Consequences For Their Actions

The survey was conducted by Liberty Mutual Insurance and gave us some shocking results, as it said 37% of parents admit they do not enforce punishments when their teen breaks a rule, which includes breaking the law like texting while driving. And why aren't they enforcing consequences? More than a third of the parents said it was an inconvenience to enforce the rules and it was also hard to monitor their teens, which we have shared the five best apps to help parents do just that!

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

It goes beyond not imposing any kind of punishment for when a teen breaks the rules. It looks like parents are telling their teenagers to do one thing while behind the wheel, but then not doing the same thing when they are behind the wheel. For kids, they look to their parents for guidance and they often mock what they see, so if the parent is doing something wrong, they might think it is okay for my mom or dad to do it, so I can do it also. The survey showed 37% of parents are using apps while driving, which is compared to 38% of teens.

Parents Not Being Truthful?

As far as the study goes, it looks like the parents may not be completely honest with their driving habits answers. In the survey, 20% said they text and drive, but then 30% of the teens said their parents are texting while driving. The reason parents are giving? 36% of the teens said their parents claim more experience is their justification for these bad behaviors.

Be The Example For Your Kids

To keep everyone safe on the road, parents need to start being the example for their kids. They need to encourage safe driving behaviors and they need to practice them themselves. If you want your kids to not text and drive or use their phone while behind the wheel, then you don't do that either. Let's all work together to keep the roads safe and eradicate car crashes!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our friendly support staff. If you want to start your driver's training journey with Coastline Academy, make sure to sign up for Drivers Ed and book your driving lesson today.