| Although they seem to be involved in | | | | behaviors," said Bill Windsor, Nationwide |
| listening to music, chatting with friends or | | | | associate vice president of safety. "Parents |
| gazing out the window, preteens and teens are | | | | can help their children learn safe driving |
| actually keen observers-and students-of their | | | | skills by putting safety into practice |
| parents' driving habits. A new study of more | | | | whenever the ignition is turned on. They also |
| than 2,000 parents and children by Nationwide | | | | need to discuss with their children what it |
| Mutual Insurance found that 83 percent of | | | | means to be a smart driver well before it's |
| 10-to-18-year-olds pay attention to Mom's or | | | | time to take the permit test." |
| Dad's driving at least half of the time they | | | | |
| spend in the car. | | | | Key findings from the study: |
| | | | |
| While parents recognize they are being | | | | • While nearly half of parents report |
| observed and need to lead by example, this | | | | that they typically drive at or below the |
| intention often gets lost in practice. Two | | | | speed limit, 80 percent of children observe |
| out of five parents surveyed say they curb | | | | that their parents drive over the speed |
| their bad driving habits in front of their | | | | limit. |
| children, but most children report seeing | | | | |
| their parents drive aggressively, feel around | | | | • More than half of children have |
| for items in the car, talk on cell phones and | | | | observed their parents multitasking behind |
| not wear seat belts. | | | | the wheel, not keeping both hands on the |
| | | | steering wheel, and/or arguing and yelling at |
| Safety takes a turn for the better when | | | | other drivers. |
| children grow up around safe drivers and are | | | | |
| armed with the tools and practices they need | | | | • One-third of kids surveyed have been |
| to be safe drivers themselves. According to | | | | scared by a parent's driving and 53 percent |
| the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety | | | | of parents have been scared when riding with |
| and the National Highway Traffic Safety | | | | their teen driving. |
| Administration, automobile crashes are the | | | | |
| leading cause of death among American teens. | | | | • More than half of children have not |
| For 16-to-18-year-olds, they account for more | | | | told their parents how they feel about their |
| than one-third of all deaths. | | | | driving. |
| | | | |
| Teach by example | | | | • 27 percent of teens with their |
| | | | driver's license have never had formal |
| " 'Do as I say, not as I do' seems to be the | | | | instruction and have learned from watching |
| philosophy of many parents when it comes to | | | | their parents and other people drive. |
| teaching their children safe driving | | | | |