Getting a driver’s license is a rite of passage for many teenagers in Georgia. While it provides teens with greater opportunities for independence, drivers in this age demographic are four times likelier to be involved in motor vehicle accidents than those who are ages 20 or older. To get a clearer picture of the perceptions of parents and teenagers about safe driving, Progressive Insurance recently surveyed parents and teens across the U.S.
Survey shows differences in perception
Progressive surveyed 225 parents and 158 unrelated teen drivers in March 2022. They asked both groups about their perceptions of how safe the teenagers and parents were while driving their views on parental use of monitoring technology, the importance of car safety technology for avoiding car crashes, and what parents can do to increase the safety of their teenage drivers. The survey identified marked differences in how teenagers and parents perceive the safety of their driving and other factors.
Parents were likelier to feel confident that their teenagers follow safe driving practices than teenagers. While 60% of surveyed parents reported that their teens were cautious drivers, only 47% of surveyed teenagers agreed. Parents also displayed greater confidence in their own safe driving habits with 48% reporting they were safe drivers while only 35% of teenagers agreed. While 54% of parents reported they used safety monitoring technology to monitor their teens while driving, only 33% of teens who were monitored reported that it made them feel safer. Parents also reported emphasizing car safety technology less than other factors with only 35% reporting they had purchased cars with safety technology for their teens.
The survey results revealed that teens and parents have disparate views about safe driving. Parents appeared to be overconfident in their teenagers’ safe driving abilities. The best thing parents can do for teens to help increase their safety while driving is to have honest conversations with them about safe driving practices and model those behaviors themselves while driving.