Parents see themselves as good driving role models – even when they’re not

The following doesn’t apply to you, as your positive appraisal of your own driving skills absolutely matches the reality – but you may be interested to know that while other parents think they are good role models on the road, they may in fact have a negative influence on their children’s future driving habits. This titbit of information was gleaned by Goodyear in its study of over 6,800 parents of novice drivers (aged 16 to 25) from 19 countries. The survey’s results form part of the tyre maker’s ‘Driving Safety First: Improving road safety for novice drivers’ white paper.

The survey shows that many parents appear aware of the strong influence they have over their children’s attitudes to road safety. A good 51 per cent of parents surveyed noted that their children pay attention to their behaviour when they drive, and 34 per cent feel that their driving habits start to influence their children’s attitude to road safety between six and 16 years of age. In regards to a parent’s status as role model, 77 per cent of parents believe their children see them as good drivers. Another 56 per cent think their children see their driving as setting a good example to others.

“It is clear the role of parents starts very early. They are role models for the children. They drive behaviour, and their behaviour on the road as drivers, cyclists or pedestrians has an influence,” commented
Eszter Salamon, president of the European Parents Association.

Despite their belief in their own positive influence, parents are not always confident on the road. Just 54 per cent think they’d pass a driving test today. Even more worrying is the parental tendency to display risky behaviour behind the wheel. 26 per cent of parents admit they’ve picked up bad habits over the years, especially those in the United Kingdom (51 per cent) and France (46 per cent). A large number of parents (44 per cent) have even been penalised for speeding when their child is in the car and 14 per cent admit they often get angry with other motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.

“Parents appear to underestimate the negative impact that they can have,” said Olivier Rousseau, Goodyear’s vice-president, consumer tyres, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

A video of a roundtable debate and press conference where Goodyear’s White Paper and survey results were discussed with key experts in the field can be watched at: http://www.goodyear.eu/conference.