Driving Instructors Say Teens Pick Up Parents' Bad Habits

The Kingsport (Tenn.) Times-News reported that driving instructors find that teens pick up bad driving habits from their parents, including distracted driving practices, and that these relatively new problems are growing. Recent teen driving statistics released by The Allstate Foundation in its 2009 study, “Shifting Teen Attitudes: The State of Teen Driving” indicate that "the percentages of cell phone use and texting among teen drivers are up tremendously since initial polling was conducted in 2005." More than 49% of teens polled said they have typed or sent a text message while driving and 82% said they have talked on their cell phone. The 2009 study is not available online, but you can read Allstate's 2005 study here.