Although teenagers tend to disagree with most of what their parents say, it’s one of those things, they do learn a lot by observing what we do.
And what with schools starting the new year and thousands of teenagers getting there in parents’ cars through the morning traffic, it is a good time to note that yes, teenagers will learn their driving habits from the way we as adults drive. Quite the responsibility right there, and not one to be ignored, because their lives and the lives of others will depend on the manners they develop on the roads.
Then there’s the fact that you can’t drive one way and instruct your teenager to drive in another way, it’s just not going to hold.
The managing director of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, says international research reveals that children inherit their parents’ driving style: “At least 50% of parents surveyed said they talked on their phones while driving and 37% admitted to speeding. Some were even guilty of taking selfies while driving.
“These behaviours are dangerous for anyone to commit but when a teenager with limited experience is doing them, it becomes even more risky. It is too late, however, to only emphasise against these driving behaviours when you start teaching them to drive. Your power of persuasion will be severely hampered if you advocate against a behaviour that they have seen you indulge in so many times before.”
So you are training the future generation of drivers to either make our roads safer, or continue the carnage.