Not As I Do
Dangerous Driving by Parents = Dangerous Driving by Teens
The following op-ed was recently released by SADD and Liberty Mutual Insurance, and written by Stephen Wallace, senior advisor at SADD, Inc. and director of the Center for Adolescent Research and Education (CARE) at Susquehanna University.
With the holidays rapidly approaching, many teenagers will be behind the wheel visiting family and friends ... and often copying the driving behavior of their parents. But is that a good thing? Not
necessarily.
New research from SADD and Liberty Mutual Insurance reveals an alarming exampl e of do what I say, not what I do when it comes to distracted and dangerous driving. For example, 66 percent of teens believe their parents follow different rules behind the wheel than they set for their children, with approximately 90 percent of teens reporting that their parents speed and talk on a cell phone while driving.
Parent Driving Behavior 
Specifically, the survey found teens observe their parents exhibiting the following driving behavior at least occasionally:
* 91 percent talk on a cell phone;
* 88 percent speed;
* 59 percent text message;
* 20 percent drive after drinking
alcohol; and
* 7 percent drive after using
marijuana.
In addition, teens report that nearly half of parents (47 percent) sometimes drive without a seatbelt.
What's the harm? Prior driving research from SADD and Liberty Mutual points out that parents are the number one influence on teen driving behavior.
To learn more about this recent research and for tips on modeling positive driving habits for the teens in your life, please click here for the complete text of this most recent Op-Ed.
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Not So Bad To Be Like You
Teens Rebelling Less Against Parents
There was a day, not too long ago, when being told, "You're just like your mom" would be greeted with a grimace by a teen. Today, though, this reaction is apparently much less common as teens are more interested in the opinions and advice offered by parents.
The 2009 study, Good Intentions, sponsored by the Girls Scouts of America, explored young people and their values, and how they relate to their parents. According to  the results, youth today are more likely to confer with a parent regarding tough choices and decisions. Your children ARE listening to you and do value your input. Creating a comfortable environment and developing a relationship of trust and openness will only help enhance the meaningful bond between you and the teens in your life.
For additional information and resources regarding engaging your teen, visit MediaPost's Blog, Engage: Teens. |
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It Can Wait: Take the Pledge
SADD's new partnership with AT&T
Youth and adults alike know  that texting while driving is dangerous. You are 23 times more likely to get in a crash if you are texting while driving. Now you have an opportunity to pledge your support for efforts aimed at the prevention of texting while driving by signing AT&T's "It Can Wait" pledge. And at the same time, you will be providing financial support for SADD!
For every pledge, AT&T will donate $2 to SADD, plus a bonus of $5 for every five friends you invite who also take the pledge. Click here to make your pledge today.
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Driving the Future
SADD Student of the Year Encourages Teen Involvement in New Legislation
Carrie Louise Sandstrom, SADD National Student of the Year, shares the following thoughts regarding the recently passed highway bill (MAP-21) that addresses, in a meaningful way, teen drivers. I am a tee  nager. I stay up too late; I wake up too late. I get emotional. I don't want my parents circling me like hawks, and I definitely don't want them to try to tell me what to do, especially behind the wheel. However, now that students are falling back into the school routine, it's time for everyone to pay attention to teen safety on the road. While teen drivers have previously been an overlooked group of motor vehicle operators, the recent passage of the highway bill, the Moving Ahead forProgress in the 21st Century Act or MAP-21, marked a change in the trend,seriously addressing teen drivers for the first time in legislation. MAP-21 establishes funding for distracted driving, an area that affects teens more than others; and also provides incentives for progressive Graduated Driver's License programs. Most important to me, MAP-21 encourages states to include a peer-to-peer component in any teen traffic safety program they adopt, acknowledging that teens must be part of the solution for an issue that so directly affects them. To read Carrie's complete Op-Ed, please click here. |
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What Does That Text Mean!?!
Understanding common teen texts
TTYL: Talk to you later
ROFL: Rolling on the floor laughing
IDK/IDC: I don't know/I don't care
<3: love or friendship
CUL8TR: See you later
CD9: Parents are around |
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