Yahoo Autos AAA survey: We know what dangerous driving is, but we often do it — especially speeding
Traffic volumes have made a big comeback post-pandemic, and though the post-pandemic high rate of traffic fatalities has started to ease slightly, deaths among pedestrians and cyclists remain on the rise. An annual AAA study sheds light on the type of driver behind these statistics. The news is, the majority of us admitted to bad driving behavior even though we know better.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety interviewed 2,499 drivers for the survey and parsed them into six types, and dived deep into their driving behaviors. The organization asked drivers questions about their attitudes toward safety — as well as their actions behind the wheel in the previous 30 days. Often, attitudes did not match actions, and only 41% of drivers surveyed fell into what AAA calls its "Safe Drivers" category.
In other words, 6 in 10 of us admitted to unsafe driving, in particular, speeding. The survey categorized 27% of respondents as "Speeding Drivers."
"Despite acknowledging the dangers, some drivers continue to engage in potentially deadly behaviors, particularly speeding," said Dr. David Yang, president and executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. "Understanding the different types of risky driving behaviors and the characteristics of drivers who engage in them is crucial for developing targeted interventions to achieve safe mobility."
The Traffic Safety Culture Index (TSCI) report slotted survey respondents into six driver profiles:
Safe Drivers: Few engaged in any risky driving behavior.
Distracted Drivers: Predominantly engaged in all distracted driving behaviors, most notably cellphone use.
Speeding Drivers: Predominantly engaged in speeding behaviors.
Distracted and Aggressive Drivers: Predominantly engaged in both distracted and aggressive driving behaviors.
Impaired Drivers: Predominantly engaged in impaired driving (e.g., drunk driving).
Most Dangerous Drivers: Engaged in all risky driving behaviors
