Parents pass on bad driving habits

Recent research has found that the behaviour of today’s young drivers, often condemned as the scourge of Britain’s roads and responsible for one in four driver deaths on the road, can at least in part be blamed on the way their parents behave behind the wheel.

The study of young driver behaviour by AXA revealed:

• People aged 18-30 are three times as likely to have points on their licence or a complete ban if their parents also have points on their licence or a ban.
• Young drivers who witness their parents drink driving are seven times as likely to go on to drink drive themselves, compared with those who have no memory of their parents drink driving. Around 28% of those with parents who drink drive do so themselves.
• Young drivers who consider their parents to be aggressive drivers are themselves much more likely to commit aggressive behaviours on the road: they are around 50% more likely to swear, flash or beep aggressively at other drivers.
• Parents are considered by 18-30 year olds to be the most important ‘role models’ behind the wheel (followed by driving instructors).