The Power Of Leading By Example - Distraction Free
What happens when a parent tells a kid not to eat chips and drinks soda before each dinner yet the child observes their parents eating these before dinner?
The child is more likely to eat chips and drink soda before each dinner.
There are many statistics that indicate the same thing happening when a parent tells their teen not to text and drive, but regularly does it themselves when the teen is in the car.
You may be reading this thinking, “No, I don’t check emails, social media, or text while driving when my kids are in the car”, or “I am getting better, I am working on breaking that habit.”
But what if you could rewind the past 8 years of transformational moments of them watching you “tech” and drive? What advice would you give yourself about that one text that seemed so urgent about getting milk or preparing that presentation. Do you remember it 5 years later? Is it really worth it?!
It may come as a surprise to you that a national study found a similar level of distracted driving habits between parents of teen drivers, and the teens themselves. For example, 37% of parents of teen drivers use apps while driving, which is barely lower than that of teen drivers themselves at 38%. Liberty Mutual Insurance also found that parents admit to speeding, driving while tired, and even taking selfies behind the wheel at similar or higher rates than teenagers. See that full article here : https://arrivealivetour.com/texting-and-driving-parents-bad-examples/
Lastly, Slick Text reports, “Teens whose parents drive distracted are as much as 2 to 4 times more likely to also drive distracted.”
This is why it is so imperative that parents step up and be the role model for their kids and teens that will eventually be behind the wheel. Practical ways that parents can do this include:
Putting their phone away while driving
Signing a pledge with their teen committing to not tech and drive
Helping your teen start start a safe driving competition in their school
Upgrading to SAFE 2 SAVE FAM – promoting transparency around driving
We passionately believe that upgrading to the FAM version the SAFE 2 SAVE app is a solution for the ENTIRE family. FAM gives you the ability to check on your loved ones that are on the road, without them putting themselves at risk to keep the rest of the family in the loop on where they are and when they arrive. It gives this peace of mind, while simultaneously providing a fun way to hold the whole family accountable to not “teching” and driving.
Check out more of the SAFE 2 SAVE FAM capabilities in the app or ask us a questions at support@safe2save.org!
