A majority of parents admit being distracted by cellphones or other electronic devices — even while teaching their children to drive.
That's according to a survey by insurer State Farm, which found that 53% of parents admitted being distracted by the devices at least once while they were teaching their teens to drive. Teens surveyed put the number higher: 61% said their parents were distracted while helping them learn to drive.
"It is alarming," says Chris Mullen, State Farm's director of technology research. "There is a need to remind parents that they are the role models. Whether it's deliberate or not, we're showing these teens what's acceptable in the car."
The survey also revealed that many parents use their electronic devices more often than they think while Junior is in the car: 54% of teens said they had seen their parents use a cellphone while driving "sometimes, often or all the time"; 43% of parents admitted using the phone that often with a teen in the vehicle.
Source: USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-10-16/parents-distracted-teaching-teens-to-drive/50796856/1
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