53 percent of teens who talk on the phone while driving are chatting with mom or dad

53 percent of teens who talk on the phone while driving are chatting with mom or dad
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DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince were right: Parents just don't understand — at least when it comes to their complicity in their teen kids' risky driving habits.

A recent study presented at the American Psychological Association's annual convention reveals that 53 percent of teens who reported talking on their cell phones while driving were actually talking to mom or dad. The study's co-author, Noelle Lavoie, noted that "teens said parents expect to be able to reach them, that parents get mad if they don't answer their phone." Perhaps it's no wonder, then, that even though 96 percent of teens acknowledge using a cell phone while driving is at least slightly distracting, 86 percent of them do it anyway.

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Mike Barry

Mike Barry is the senior editor of audience development and outreach at TheWeek.com. He was previously a contributing editor at The Huffington Post. Prior to that, he was best known for interrupting a college chemistry class.