The Just Drive! program's focus on the parents of teens, in addition to the teens themselves, is a result of qualitative internal research Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin conducted in 2004 that revealed the influence parents’ driving had on teens and how teens often mimic their parents’ bad driving habits, even though they know it’s not smart and not safe.
In 2005, Froedtert & the Medical College gathered additional research on this phenomenon by conducting an online survey to better understand teens’ and parents’ perceptions of their driving and of each other’s driving.
What they learned confirmed their thinking. The survey found that parents were, indeed, the biggest influence on teen drivers. Nearly 70 percent of the teens said their mother or father influenced them in how to drive. However, adult drivers did not exhibit the best role model behavior. The survey found most parents exhibit the same distracted behaviors as teens such as talking on the phone, listening to music, eating, speeding and following other vehicles too closely.
In fact, when asked to list the top five driving distractions, both teens and parents reported the same distractions, all of which they said they had done within the last 30 days:
- Changing the radio station; tape or CD (79 percent)
- Exceeding the speed limit (61 percent)
- Driving without both hands on the steering wheel (61 percent)
- Talking on the phone (51 percent)
- Eating (45 percent)
More concerning, nearly 90 percent of respondents said they, a family member or a close friend had experienced the effects of a car crash, yet more than half (56 percent) didn’t change their driving habits because of the crash.
While both groups admit to being distracted, many are not changing their behaviors even if involved in a crash. If they are changing behavior after the crash, the tendency was to shift the focus to other drivers rather than themselves.
Other findings from the survey include:
- Teens are divided on whether they believe they drive differently with their friends than with their parents. Just over 40 percent said they don’t drive differently with their friends and nearly 40 percent said they do.
- Parents are also divided on whether they believe teens drive differently with their friends. More than 30 percent said they believe they do drive differently and nearly 30 percent said they don’t (38 percent weren’t sure).
- When all respondents were asked if teens are often distracted drivers, 90 percent said they somewhat or strongly agree.
National Driving Statistics
According to a 2005 report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15-20 year olds primarily due to “driver inattention.” Here are some further statistics to drive home the need for safe driving education.
- Teens make up just 7 percent of all licensed drivers, but they represent 14 percent of driving fatalities, according to AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
- Nearly 31,000 people were killed in crashes involving drivers between the ages of 15 and 17 between 1995 and 2004, according to AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
- Of those, nearly four in 10 (36.2%) who died were the teen drivers. Three in 10 (31.8%) who died were the passengers
- According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15-20 year olds
- Driver inattention is the most prevalent cause of collisions, accounting for for an estimated 25 percent to 56 percent of crashes
- In 2004, 24 percent of young drivers, age 15 to 20, who were killed in crashes had blood alcohol levels of 0.8 or higher, according to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis.
Wisconsin Driving Statistics
According to the 2004 Wisconsin Facts and Figures presented by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation:
- Nearly 800 people (784) were killed in Wisconsin motor vehicle traffic crashes. This is an average of two lives lost each day on Wisconsin trafficways
- Of the 784 killed, 42 percent died in alcohol related crashes; 33 percent died in speed-related crashes and 19 percent died in crashes that involved both speed and alcohol
- 60 percent of all crashes occurred off the state highway and interstate systems, on county trunks and local roads
- Only 6 percent of all Wisconsin-licensed drivers are ages 16-19, but drivers in this age group account for 16 percent of all drivers involved in crashes
- One teen driver is injured or killed in a car crash every 51.9 minutes in Wisconsin
- Wisconsin enacted the Graduated Driver License (GDL) Teen Driving Safety in 2001; based on the first three full years of the GDL restrictions (2001-03), the number of 16-year old drivers involved in crashes has decreased