A new study has found that teenagers are driving with their phones in their hands more than we may think. Parenting a teenager is not always an easy thing to do. Mom may have more “freedom,” as she does not need to watch her teen as much as she does her toddler, but it comes with its own worries.

Teenagers are navigating a tricky stage of development, and a big part of that is finding out who they are apart from their parents. They are trying to find their identity, while still dealing with a developing brain. This means they still may not make the best judgment calls, and this can be dangerous.

Teenagers are just learning to drive, and this can be a scary thing for parents. They want to make sure their teenager is making smart (and safe) choices, and this includes paying attention when driving.

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According to Study Finds, a new study has found that teenagers are driving with their phones in their hand more than we think. The study found that teenagers drive with a phone in their hand during 30% of the time, and they are speeding 40% of the time.

The researchers also found that there was no difference in gender, both boys and girls were equally likely to engage in dangerous driving. This study was done by the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and it can be read in full here.

Researchers stated that this study can give them some insight into teenage driving behaviors, and it can help parents guide their children before they get behind the wheel.

The results showing that teenagers are still using their phones while driving, and are driving at fast speeds, can be incredibly concerning. They completed this study by using a mobile app to track the driving skills of more than 160 youth. They found that most of the trips were short, and most occurred during daylight.

It is important to note that these behaviors did not occur during every driving trip. While both boys and girls were likely to drive with their phones, they did find some instances of differences when it comes to risky driving. They found that boys were more likely to display risky behaviors more often, and these behaviors were hard braking and rapid acceleration.

It is important to be constantly in communication with teenagers about the safety needed when driving, and that they are routinely being told not to drive with their phone in their hand.

Sources: Study Finds, Eureka Alert