Children Learn Driving Habits From Parents

Children learn driving habits from parents according to a new survey by Ford. The survey found that:

• 51 percent of parents said their teens and tweens have asked them to slow down, stop talking or texting, or drive more safely
• 80 percent of teens/tweens have seen their parents “engage in risky actions” while driving, the most common being eating/drinking and talking or texting on a hand-held phone
• 78 percent of tweens and 66 percent of teens indicated that how their parents drive will or does affect how they drive

“There seems to be a gap between parents saying they drive safely and what their kids observe,” said Sue Cischke, Ford group vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “Eating, reading and hand-held texting are bad habits that teens and tweens pick up. Ford continues to be part of the solution by expanding our teen safe driving education program and in-vehicle technologies that help improve safe driving behavior.”

A fine example of the automaker’s educational efforts is its Driving Skills for Life Program, a no-cost driver-training alternative that provides both parents and new teen drivers with added resources and skills for safer driving. Some 400,000 students have participated in the program since its inception, and—with more and more schools cutting back on driver’s ed—Ford is extending its reach to cover an additional 30 new markets this year alone. For more information on the program, visit DrivingSkillsForLife.com.

Read more: http://www.fordinthenews.com/ford-survey-safer-teen-driving-starts-with-parents/#more-2272