Although you may take care of your car's safety in terms of auto repair, including specifics like brake repair and tire replacement, there's one thing you can't be completely certain of: your teen driver. Distractions today are more prevalent then ever while driving, but a recent nationwide study conducted by Bridgestone Americas found that parents seem to be in denial about their own teen's driving habits. It's asking for trouble to simply assume teens are getting the message of safe driving.
The study reported that teens are 25 percent more likely to engage in common driving distractions than their parents assume. The discrepancy does not seem to stop there, however. The study goes on to say that while nearly all parents say indulging in distractions while driving is unacceptable, 94 percent of parents admit to driving distracted anyway.
"Not only are teens engaging in these behaviors more than they know, teens are actually picking up these distracted driving behaviors from their parents," said Angela Patterson, Manager of Bridgestone Americas' Teens Drive Smart Program.
In the study, 60 percent of teens said they've seen their parents using a cell phone while driving. In a separate Bridgestone study earlier this year, it was revealed that two-thirds of teens model their driving after their parents. The "apple doesn't fall far from the tree" idiom seems to apply to driving habits as well, which is even more of a reason to practice safe driving for your kids and yourself.
No matter how much vehicle maintenance is done on your vehicle, and no matter how many safety features come loaded inside of it, the safest thing for your car is to drive without distractions.