In 2005, The Allstate Foundation surveyed more than 1,000 teens (aged 15 to 17) to learn more about their driving attitudes, behaviors and misperceptions.
Critical survey findings:
- “Parents matter.” 89 percent of teens said their parents are influential in encouraging safer driving.
- “Friends can be foes.” 44 percent of teens said they drive more safely without friends in the car.
- “Tongue-tied teens.” 67 percent of teens have felt unsafe when someone else was driving, but only 45 percent said they would speak up about it.
- “I can handle distractions.” 56 percent said they make and answer phone calls while driving.
- “It’s them, not me.” 43 percent of teens labeled their own driving as “somewhat” or “very defensive,” yet 62 percent called their peers “somewhat” or “very aggressive.”
- “If I’m sober, I’m safe.” More than half of teens inaccurately think most teen-related crashes are alcohol related. In fact, alcohol is involved in less than 25 percent of deadly teen crashes. Simple driver error and speeding cause most crashes.
- “Speeding is normal.” 55 percent of all teens surveyed said they sometimes exceed the speed limit by more than 10 mph.