Startling new statistics reveal a great divide between responsibility and action when teens get behind the wheel.
Every driver has had close calls. In fact, more than 68 percent of teens say they've narrowly avoided a crash, according to a new study by SADD Student Against Destructive Decisions.
But what may surprise parents is how little teens associate their unsafe driving behavior with those near misses.
* Of those teens who have had narrow escape, 55 percent blame the other driver or the weather.
* When asked what was happening at the time of the close call, 30 percent said they were speeding, 21 percent said they were texting and 20 percent said they were talking to passengers in the car.
The conclusion is that teens are doing unsafe things, but dont think they're contributing to car accidents, says Josh Linson.
That's a big disconnect. Teens tend to suffer from the myth of invincibility, that nothing bad is going to happen to them. Close calls are not enough to change their driving behavior for a substantial period of time.
What does help? Continuing honest conversations between teens and parents. Unfortunately, they aren't happening often enough. Kids aren't going to rush home and say they almost hit a tree bacause they were texting.
Every driver has had close calls. In fact, more than 68 percent of teens say they've narrowly avoided a crash, according to a new study by SADD Student Against Destructive Decisions.
But what may surprise parents is how little teens associate their unsafe driving behavior with those near misses.
* Of those teens who have had narrow escape, 55 percent blame the other driver or the weather.
* When asked what was happening at the time of the close call, 30 percent said they were speeding, 21 percent said they were texting and 20 percent said they were talking to passengers in the car.
The conclusion is that teens are doing unsafe things, but dont think they're contributing to car accidents, says Josh Linson.
That's a big disconnect. Teens tend to suffer from the myth of invincibility, that nothing bad is going to happen to them. Close calls are not enough to change their driving behavior for a substantial period of time.
What does help? Continuing honest conversations between teens and parents. Unfortunately, they aren't happening often enough. Kids aren't going to rush home and say they almost hit a tree bacause they were texting.