Do As I Say, Not As I Do Driving Culture In US
Do as I say, not as I do, seems to be the driving force among US drivers according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s Traffic Safety Culture Index released this week. The survey of 2,705 US licensed drivers age 16 and older shows that most believe that certain driver behaviors are dangerous and a threat to other drivers but a large number admit to engaging in those same risky behaviors themselves.
Car crashes affect most Americans in one way or another. Among the survey’s respondents:
- One in ten have been seriously injured in a crash and almost one in five have been involved in a serious crash.
- Almost one in three had a friend or relative that was seriously injured or killed in a crash.
When asked about certain traffic issues, survey respondents who felt they were a somewhat or bigger problem than three years ago were as follows:
- Aggressive driving – 61.3%
- Distracted driving – 85%
- Drunk and drugged driving – 41.6 and 45.6 respectively
The do as I say, not as I do factor
When it comes to their personal driving behavior the survey showed:
- 54.7% said red light running was a serious threat and 72.7% said it is completely unacceptable. However, more than one-third (35.6%) admitted to running a red light within the past 30 days.
- 45.2% of drivers felt that speeding at or above 10 mph over the posted speed limit in residential zones was a serious threat and 84.4% said it is completely unacceptable. However, almost half (43.5%) admitted that they done it within the past 30 days.
- 78.6% of drivers felt that texting was a serious threat and 64.6% said it is completely unacceptable. However, more than one-third (36.1%) had read a text or email and more than one-quarter (27.1%) had typed one while driving within the past 30 days.
- 45% of drivers felt that drowsy driving was a serious threat and 81.3% said it is completely unacceptable. However, almost one-third (29.4%) had done so within the past 30 days.
Cell phone use while driving
Many Americans still don’t realize that, when it comes to cell phone use, the distraction doesn’t come from holding a phone to your ear but from the phone conversation itself. Among survey respondents:
- 65.7% of drivers felt that use of hand-held cell phones is unacceptable while almost the same amount (65.4%) felt that use of hands-free cell phones is acceptable.
- 46.4% of drivers felt who use speech based in-vehicle cell phone systems don’t believe that the calls are at all distracting.
- 89.3% believe that texting while driving should be banned.
- 67.8% support a ban on hand-held cell phones.
- 40.2% support a total ban on both hand-held and hands-free cell phone use.
For more information on the survey, read: 2014 Traffic Safety Culture Index