Survey: Parents Causing Distractions For Teen Drivers
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A new survey finds that parents are creating distractions when their teens are driving.
The National Safety Council says over half of all teens surveyed say they feel pressure to respond to phone calls or texts from their parents while they're driving.
"Parents aren't helping the issue by knowingly texting their teens," says the council's Kathy Bernstein.
She says the family could have a plan to eliminate that distraction:
"A perfect scenario would be for a family to have a plan in place where when the teen turns the ignition on the car, they text their parents and say 'I'm driving, I'll text you when I arrive.' And when they arrive at their destination, they pop back on and say 'I'm here'."
The National Safety Council says motor vehicle accidents are the number one killer of teenagers, and adding cell phones to the mix can only increase those odds.
The survey is part of the observation of National Distracted Driver Awareness Month.
