We all know that talking or texting while driving is a bad
thing to do. We know that teens are especially likely to use their phones while
behind the wheel. But who are they talking to? You!
A study of 400
teens, aged 15 to 18 from 31 states, reported that more than half
of their calls – 53% - were from their mother or father. According to Noelle
LaVoie, lead researcher, “Teens
said parents expect to be able to reach them, that parents get mad if they
don’t answer their phone and they have to tell parents where they are.” Teens
also said their parents use their phones while driving and don’t seem to think that
calling or texting while driving is a big deal.
Of course, it is a big deal. In 2011 cell phone use
was blamed in nearly one-quarter of all fatal crashes involving teen drivers.
Cell phones are responsible for an even greater number of non-fatal accidents,
accidents that can put your teen in the hospital, raise your insurance rates,
or damage your car. Yet a 2013 survey found that 86% of high school juniors and
seniors routinely use their cell phones while driving.
You are part of this problem. Here’s what you must
do, starting right now.
1. If you know your child is driving, don’t call her.
Just don’t. Wait until you can imagine she’s safely arrived at her destination.
2. Instead of calling, text your child. Nothing you
have to say is so important as keeping your kid’s eyes on the road. You can
afford to let your child get back to you when it’s safe to do so.
3. Make it clear to your child that you do not want
her to answer your call or text if she’s driving. In fact, make it clear that
she should never answer anyone’s call
or text while on the road. Don’t crab at your kid or penalize her for not
answering you immediately.
4. Set a good example. Quit talking on the phone or
texting while you drive and stop answering the phone when you’re on the road.
If you believe an incoming call is vital, pull over and stop the car.
The notion that a brain can do two things at once
has been demonstrated to be false. Instead, brains do one thing at a time,
switching attention between competing needs. Teens are not any better at
multitasking than adults are. They have not somehow trained their brains to
attend to more than one thing at once.
Similarly, the notion that driving is so automatic
that there’s lots of brain bandwidth left over for phone use is not true. Certainly
while you drive, your brain has time to think of things you should be doing and
people you need to talk with. But your brain doesn’t have capacity to actually
do those things or launch those conversations. Get where you’re going, then do
what you need to do.
Parents have been demonstrated to be a huge part of
the problem of teens’ distracted driving. Now it’s time for parents to be a
huge part of the solution.
©
2014, Patricia Nan Anderson. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Ask for Dr. Anderson’s book,
Parenting: A Field Guide, at your
favorite bookstore.
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