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Teen Driving: Turns Out We Are More Distracted Than Our Kids ?

distracted driving teen

From reading screenplays to giving BJs, from applying mascara to inhaling a Double Double, when it comes to distracted driving, I’ve seen it all. Trust me, people in LA do some disgusting things in their cars. And if I’m honest, I know I’m guilty myself. Because if you don’t think I’m whipping out my camera when that bedazzled Bentley rolls by, you’ve got another thing coming. Guess what? Turns out you are guilty too.  So before we both go getting all high and mighty towards our teen drivers, we’d sure as hell better check ourselves before we wreck ourselves. (This means dying in a flaming ball of steel and plastic. Or even worse, looking hypocritical in front of our kids.)

The safety freaks at Volvo just came out with a new study and it shows some cool stuff. Some of it, like the below, is obvious.  There are more distractions. Duh.

distracted driving
photo: Volvo USA

The Facts:

But then they released this:

distracted driving teen
photo: Volvo USA

Oh snap!

The Takeaway:

Just to be clear, most parents of these days are Gen X (born roughly between 1966-1976) and teens would be the Gen Z (born between 1995-2012).  If you married an old fart or have a dumbass adult kid that acts like a teenager, I can’t tell you much about that. But what I can tell you and what this report validates is that parents are more likely to pick up their phones while driving than their teens.

The Hard Truth:

I want this to be wrong. It must be, right? I mean, my teenage daughter has her phone permanently attached to her fingers. But she’s also the first to grab my cell out of my hand and say, “let me type for you, you’re driving.”  For this generation, learning to manage a phone while driving isn’t something they have to adjust to, these kids don’t know a world without it. Plus, they’ve been inundated with calls for responsible cell use their whole lives. We lived through “Rock The Vote”, “This Your Brain On Drugs” and “No Glove, No Love.”  Their generation’s cornerstone messaging includes “Don’t Text And Drive.”  Check out this video for a few reminders.  Warning, it may be a little close to home:

 

The Solution:

So I dunno about you, but I’m really going to try. I’m going to eat less behind the wheel (especially those burritos cuz it was getting gross), never put on makeup while driving and guess what? Your text is just gonna have to wait. Because of course I’m scared that my daughter starting to drive. Yes I’m terrified that she’ll be distracted by a cell phone. But I’m even more horrified of the idea that if she does pick up that habit, she learned it from me. Thus, if you see fewer bedazzled Bentleys, marshmallow-topped Accords or lifted Priuses in my feed, don’t be sad, it’s for the greater good!

Note: this is not sponsored content. This is a public service announcement from Motorhead Mama. We will return to our regularly-scheduled smartassery in the next post.

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