The Allstate Foundation Teen Driving Program:
Changing the World of Driving

Parent Research

A Preventable Epidemic

The biggest threat to your teen’s safety may be parked outside your home.  Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in America today.  The facts speak loud enough: nearly 6,000 teens are killed and more than 300,000 injured in wrecks each year.

But, parents can do a lot to bring those tragic numbers down.  In a recent survey, teens said parents have the strongest influence on their driving behavior.  So, you need to play an active role in your teen’s driving – from before getting a license to long after your teen is driving alone on the road.

In 2007, The Allstate Foundation surveyed more than 1,000 parents of teens (ages 15 to 17 years old) for an in-depth look at parents’ knowledge of the teen driving issue and the roles they play in preparing their teens for this important milestone. Critical survey findings include:

• Most parents (59%) are aware that motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of teens, yet they talk to their children about the dangers of smoking and drugs at an earlier age than safe driving.
• Most parents (93%) believe they’re prepared to teach their teens how to drive, yet 60% of parents say they have never heard of or are vaguely aware of laws that can protect their teens on the road.
• While two-thirds of parents polled think teens in general are bad drivers, 88% trust their own teens to drive safely.
• 99% of parents believe demonstrating good driving behavior is helpful in teaching their teen safe driving, yet many parents admit to displaying bad driving behavior when their teens are in the car.

See the complete survey results at: Teen Driver Parent Survey Findings 2007