Teens claim they are good drivers, but then admit to the opposite
Ask most teens, and they will tell you that they are good, safe drivers. One focus group did just that, giving 1,622 teens a survey nationwide. They were in both 11th and 12th grade. A full 89 percent said that they were safe drivers.
What is most intriguing, though, is that the rest of their answers painted a very different picture, showing that they tend not to be safe at all behind the wheel.
For example, 71 percent said that they exceeded the speed limit while driving. As they get older, rather than slowing down, they just speed even more. When they had had their driver’s licenses for a maximum of six months, only 28 percent admitted to speeding. For those who had been on the road for 12 months or more, the number jumped to 47 percent.
Teens were also asked about aggressive driving, which can easily lead to an accident. Eighty-one percent said they understood the dangers of aggressive driving, but 36 percent admitted to doing it anyway, while 31 percent said they’d been involved in road rage incidents.
Another thing that is very interesting is that many parents had a very different perception. Just 38 percent said their teen drivers would speed, and only 16 percent thought that their children were involved in aggressive driving and road rage.
As you can see, teens are still a risk on the roads, even if they and their parents don’t believe that it’s true. If you’re injured by a teen who was Teens are bad drivers, and the research supports it,” Chris Bruce, accessed April 01, 2017