DAYTON — A new report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety finds that young millennials are the riskiest drivers – but none of us is really setting a good example.
According to the study, almost 90 percent of young millennials – defined as those between the ages of 19-24 – engaged in at least one risky behavior behind the wheel in the past 30 days, earning the top spot of worst behaved drivers in the US.
These dangerous behaviors ― known to increase crash risk ― included texting while driving, speeding and running red-lights. In fact, 50 percent of the young millennials said they’d driven through a red light in the past month.
“As disturbing as this may be, equally disturbing is the fact that the millennials behaving badly are hardly alone” says AAA Driving School Supervisor, Pat Brown. “Before you start finger pointing, look in the mirror. The study found the majority of drivers of ALL ages have also engaged in the same risky behaviors in the last 30 days.”
These findings, part of AAA’s annual Traffic Safety Culture Index, come as US traffic deaths jumped 7 percent in 2015 to more than 35,000 – the largest single-year increase in five decades.
For several years running now, the TSCI reveals a culture among US drivers of ‘do as I say, not as I do’. The same drivers who describe texting and other risky behavior as ‘unacceptable’, also admit to engaging in it.
“Alarmingly, some of the drivers ages 19-24 believe that their dangerous driving behavior is acceptable,” said Dr. David Yang, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety executive director. “It’s critical that these drivers understand the potentially deadly consequences of engaging in these types of behaviors and that they change their behavior and attitudes in order to reverse the growing number of fatalities on U.S. roads.”
By rank and by age group, the percentage of drivers who reported engaging in speeding, red light running or texting behind the wheel in the past 30 days include:
Drivers ages 19-24: 88.4 percent
Drivers ages 25-39: 79.2 percent
Drivers ages 40-59: 75.2 percent
Drivers ages 16-18: 69.3 percent
Drivers ages 75+: 69.1 percent
Drivers ages 60-74: 67.3 percent
Texting While Driving
Drivers ages 19-24 were 1.6 times as likely as all drivers to report having read a text message or e-mail while driving in the last 30 days (66.1 percent vs. 40.2 percent).
Drivers ages 19-24 were nearly twice as likely as all drivers to report having typed or sent a text message or e-mail while driving (59.3 percent vs. 31.4 percent).
Speeding
Drivers ages 19-24 were 1.4 times as likely as all drivers to report having driven 10 mph over the speed limit on a residential street.
Nearly 12 percent of drivers ages 19-24 reported feeling that it is acceptable to drive 10 mph over the speed limit in a school zone, compared to less than 5 percent of all drivers.
Red- Light Running
Nearly 50 percent of drivers ages 19-24 reported driving through a light that had just turned red when they could have stopped safely, compared to 36 percent of all drivers.
Nearly 14 percent of drivers ages 19-24 reported feeling that it is acceptable to drive through a light that just turned red, when they could have stopped safely, compared to about 6 percent of all drivers.
The new survey results are part of the AAA Foundation’s annual Traffic Safety Culture Index, which identifies attitudes and behaviors related to traffic safety. The survey data are from a sample of 2,511 licensed drivers ages 16 and older who reported driving in the past 30 days. The AAA Foundation issued its first Traffic Safety Culture Index in 2008, and the latest report is online at www.AAAFoundation.org.
