A new study found that nearly half of the teenagers using their mobile phones while driving are talking to either their mother or father.
Many studies have highlighted the irresponsible behavior of teenagers of using cellphones while driving. However, a new study finds that parents are also partially to blame for teenagers indulging in such risky behavior. The study authors found that more than half of teens are talking to a parents while on cellphones while 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, in a press statement. "The teens also said that their parents use cellphones while driving and that everyone is doing it."
For the study, researchers interviewed or surveyed more than 400 teen drivers, aged between 15 and 18 years, from 31 states to find out why they continue to talk and text behind the wheel, despite warnings about the serious hazards of distracted driving. Among the participants, 37 percent of those with restricted drivers' licenses and 50 percent of those with unrestricted licenses said they talked on the phone with a parent while driving.
The researchers also noted that when it came to texting, the participants were more likely to message their friends than their parents. However, 16 percent of the 18-year-old participants said they had texted a parent while driving, while 8 percent of 15- to 17-year-olds said the same.
"Parents need to understand that this is not safe and emphasize to their children that it's not normal or acceptable behavior," 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."
Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of crashes among all drivers. For teens, it causes 11 percent of fatal crashes, and of those, 21 percent involved cellphones, according to a 2013 report by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
The current study was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Findings were presented at the American Psychological Association's 122nd Annual Convention.
