Teen Driving Study

A new study study found that teens ages 14-18 are more likely to take risks when in the presence of their peers than when they are alone. The teens played a simulating driving game where they were rewarded for how fast and well they finished. The study is supposed to provide proof to the peer pressure excuse that so many of our parents love to use. The crazy thing about this study is that the teens' friends were not even in the room when they would take these driving risks in the game. The teens were told their friends were watching and the simple thought that their peers were observing affected their behaviour. Just knowing their friends were watching them caused them to run yellow lights, speed, and have more crashed than when they were playing the simulator game alone. If I think about it I can think of times where my friends have changed the way I drive. At the end of the article one of the doctors states that parents who think of their teens as having good judgment based on what they know from being alone with them at home is not a reliable source because teens do change their behaviour in decision making based on who is watching. I hope my mother never read this article :)