A new study has revealed that bad driving is hereditary, finding that you’re more likely to commit a driving offence, if your parents have done too.
Scrap Car Comparison who conducted the study, analysed the driving records of both ‘bad’ drivers and those with a clean motoring history, and compared them with the records of their parents. From this, they found that those that have previously broken road laws such as speeding, or have ever been pulled over by the police, will often have parents that have done the same too.
Meanwhile, parents who drive within the rules of the road when out in the roads, are more likely to have children who do so too.
Highlighting that bad driving is more nurture than nature, drivers seems to agree, with 1 in 4 drivers feeling that they’ve picked up negative driving habits from their parents and 55% saying they are actually better at driving than mum or dad.
I thought these findings would be of interest? If so, I’ve included some key stories below, in addition to the full press release, but if you needed anything else just let me know!
David Kottaun, Operations Manager at Scrap Car Comparison said, “How the things we’re exposed to as children shape us in later life -be it hobbies, music or movies – is a subject that has been discussed at length for years. But outside of these much-discussed topics, we wondered where dangerous driving really originates from, seeing as we all can exhibit such different behaviours when behind the wheel.
“When you think about it, it should come as no surprise that the driving habits of our parents play a part in our own driving skills as an adult. Many of us spent our formative years in the passenger seat of a parental figure’s car, and so will have subconsciously picked up on both good and bad traits, when it comes to driving a vehicle.”
He added, “The most important thing however, is safety. So no matter how someone else in your life has driven, when in control of your own car, its essential to follow the rules of the road to keep yourself, your passengers and other road users safe.
“That’s why it’s promising to see that newer generations of drivers are realising the bad habits they’ve picked up from older generations and are hopefully making a change for the better”.
Key stories:
- 66% of drivers who have broken road laws have been raised by parents that have done so too – compared to just 26% of those raised by law-abiding parents
- Almost half (45%) of motorists raised by ‘bad drivers’ have been pulled over by the police (compared to only 14% of those raised by ‘good drivers’)
- 1 in 4 drivers feel they’ve learnt negative driving habits from their parents, with the main bad habits including speeding, road rage and bad parking
- 55% of drivers feel they are a better driver than their parents
