Teen Drivers are Hypocrites

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The good news from a new survey released by State Farm is that almost four in five teens (78 percent) have chided a driver who gets distracted by their phone. And 84 percent of those said the driver listened and stopped.

The bad news is teens are just as guilty: 34 percent admit to texting while driving. (And because of response bias, you can expect some just gave the “right” answer.)

Done over the phone with 650 14- to 18-year-olds, State Farm’s survey also found that teenage girls were more cautious and less confident in their driving skills. Girls were twice as likely as boys to put off their license test to learn proper safety.

And the Invincible Teen is alive and well: “Three out of four teens do not expect to get into a crash during their first year of driving, despite research stating the first year is by far the most dangerous.”

The study’s release was timed to promote “Celebrate My Drive” events to be held on Sept. 15 across the country, celebrating teen drivers and promoting safety tips. Starting Sept. 10, high schoolers have a chance to win a new car at celebratemydrive.com.

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