Most Teens Admit Risky Road Behavior

A new survey of Southern California teenagers found that more than 70% had been involved in drunk driving, drag racing or other reckless behavior behind the wheel.

The California Institute of Transportation study, released Wednesday, found that more teenagers drive dangerously than most academics and law enforcement officials had suspected, said Sheila Sarkar, a San Diego State University researcher who co-authored the report.

“This is something to be worried about,” said Sarkar, who called the survey the first of its kind.

Sarkar surveyed more than 400 teenagers, who were taking driving lessons in San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles counties.

The young people reported that their sometimes death-defying behavior was often influenced by friends and parents with unsafe driving habits.

More than 40% of the teenagers said they had witnessed their parents swearing at other drivers. More than 20% said their parents make rude gestures and 30% have seen their parents honk or flash lights at other motorists while driving.

When it comes to behavior behind the wheel, teenage boys and girls said their fathers are their biggest influence, according to the survey.

However, the survey also found that children of stay-at-home mothers were less likely to drive recklessly or ride with other unsafe drivers.

The survey also suggested a connection between teenage behavior on the road and their hobbies. Only about half who said their hobbies were reading, writing or working on a computer were involved in high-risk driving.

In contrast, 80% of teens who said they participated in contact sports or enjoyed repairing and modifying cars said they have been involved in dangerous driving.

Teenage driving is a topic of growing concern, and for good reason. Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for young people between ages 15 and 20. In 2000, 3,594 drivers in that age group were killed and 348,000 were injured in car crashes nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Sarkar’s survey suggested that underage drinking is often involved when teenagers are drag racing, speeding or driving unsafely.

More than 77% of teenage males said they had been involved in drunk driving and racing, and 74% of females said they were the driver or passenger during an episode of drinking and unsafe driving.

Tina Pasco, executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said the survey findings were disturbing but not surprising. She said other research has shown that alcohol often is involved when teenagers decide to speed, race or drive recklessly.

Pasco and others note that teenagers are more vulnerable to auto accidents because they have the least amount of driving experience and a naive impression that they can survive anything that happens.

“They think they are 10 feet tall and bulletproof,” Pasco said.