A recent study conducted by Liberty Mutual Insurance and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) revealed that 57% of older teens are overconfident and perceive themselves as safe drivers, despite experiencing more accidents and near misses than younger teens.
While it’s natural for teens to gain confidence behind the wheel, this age group is also more prone to push boundaries and engage in riskier behavior, such as distracted driving. The study revealed that over 70% of high school seniors use a phone while driving and over 67% admit to using apps while behind the wheel.
However, older teens are still inexperienced drivers even if they feel otherwise. That’s why it’s important for parents and teens to have conversations about the potential consequences of distracted driving and phone use to avoid potentially putting themselves and others at risk on the road.
Dr. Gene Beresin, the Senior Advisor on Adolescent Psychiatry with SADD and Executive Director of The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital, appears in this interview to discuss overconfident teen drivers and how parents can encourage safer driving with teens during the back-to-school season.
Station Note: This segment is brought to you by Liberty Mutual Insurance
About Dr. Gene Beresin
Dr. Gene Beresin is Senior Advisor on adolescent psychiatry with SADD, executive director of The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a full professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS), and senior educator in child and adolescent psychiatry at MGH. He received a B.A. in music from Princeton University, and an M.A. in philosophy along with his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
No comments:
Post a Comment