Why do teens continue to talk on cell phones while driving? Because their parents keep calling them, a new study finds.

With the hazards of talking or texting on the phone while driving becoming increasingly well publicized, it is natural to wonder why teens continue to do so in ever greater numbers, despite all the warnings. Research recently presented at the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Annual Convention suggests that it may actually be parents who play a direct role in fostering this dangerous behavior.

The new study found that over 50 percent of teens report talking on cellphones with their mother or father while driving. Specifically, 53 percent of teens who talked on the phone behind the wheel talked to a parent, while only 46 percent talked to a friend.

“Teens said parents expect to be able to reach them,” Noelle LaVoie, PhD, a cognitive psychologist based in Petaluma, California, said in an APA news release. “Parents get mad if they don’t answer their phone and they have to tell parents where they are.”

Teens cell phone use while driving has exploded in recent years. A 2013 survey by Liberty Mutual and Students Against Destructive Decisions found that 86 percent of 11th- and 12th-graders use a cellphone while driving. This number is up from 43 percent in a Pew survey conducted just four years prior, according to the APA news release.

“Parents need to understand that this is not safe and emphasize to their children that it’s not normal or acceptable behavior,” said LaVoie. “Ask the question, ‘Are you driving?’ If they are, tell them to call you back or to find a spot to pull over so they can talk.”