Parents part of problem in distracted teen driving

Parents play a direct role in distracted teen driving, with more than half of teenagers talking on cellphones with their mother or father behind the wheel, according to a new research.
Researchers interviewed or surveyed around 400 teen drivers, ages 15 to 18, from 31 states in the US to find out why they continue to talk and text behind the wheel, despite warnings about the serious hazards of distracted driving.
"Teens said parents expect to be able to reach them, that parents get mad if they don't answer their phone and they have to tell parents where they are," said Noelle LaVoie, a cognitive psychologist based in Petaluma, California.

The teens also said that their parents use cellphones while driving and that "everyone is doing it," according to the research.
Among the survey participants, 37 per cent of the 15- to 17-year-olds with restricted drivers' licenses and 50 per cent of the 18-year-olds with unrestricted licenses said they talked on the phone with a parent while driving.
When it comes to texting, the teens were more likely to send messages to friends than parents, the survey found.

However, 16 per cent of the 18-year-old survey participants said they had texted a parent while driving, while 8 per cent of 15- to 17-year-olds said the same.

"Parents need to understand that this is not safe and emphasise to their children that it's not normal or acceptable behaviour," said LaVoie.
"Ask the question, 'Are you driving?' If they are, tell them to call you back or to find a spot to pull over so they can talk," LaVoie added.
The research was presented at the American Psychological Association's 122nd Annual Convention in Washington, DC.