WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT:Authoritative parenting style is known to influence adolescent behaviors and attitudes positively. However, little is known about the interplay between parental warmth, support, and control in relation to teen driving safety.
WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:Parents matter. This study confirms that safe driving belongs on the list of adolescent behaviors known to be influenced positively by authoritative parenting. abstract +
OBJECTIVE:The goal was to explore the association between parenting style and driving behaviors.
METHODS:The 2006 National Young Driver Survey gathered data on driving safety behaviors from a nationally representative sample of 5665 ninth-, 10th-, and 11th-graders. A parenting style variable was based on adolescent reports and separated parents into 4 groups, (1) authoritative (high support and high rules/monitoring), (2) authoritarian (low support and high rules/monitoring), (3) permissive (high support and low rules/monitoring), and (4) uninvolved (low support and low rules/monitoring). Associations between parenting style and driving behaviors and attitudes were assessed.
RESULTS:One half of parents were described as authoritative, 23% as permissive, 8% as authoritarian, and 19% as uninvolved. Compared with teens with uninvolved parents, those with authoritative parents reported one half the crash risk in the past year (odds ratio [OR]
CONCLUSIONS:Clinicians should encourage parents to set rules and to monitor teens' driving behaviors, in a supportive context. Pediatrics