The deadly trio on U.S. roads — speeding, distractions and aggression (AAA Newsroom)

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In 2023, nearly 41,000 people were killed in U.S. traffic crashes, a sobering reminder of the ongoing public health crisis on our roads. Despite a slight decrease from the previous year, the threat posed by risky driving behaviors remains alarmingly high.

A new report by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety illuminates this issue by categorizing drivers based on their self-reported risky behaviors. Speeding, distracted driving, and aggressive driving emerged as the most prevalent dangerous habits. The annual Traffic Safety Culture Index (TSCI) survey identified five distinct driver profiles. The survey asked drivers about their perceived level of danger for various driving behaviors, with most drivers saying unsafe driving behaviors are very or extremely dangerous. Yet, many have admitted to doing these dangerous behaviors at least once in the previous 30 days.

Young man talking on a cellphone and sitting on a curb near a crashed white pickup truck.

“Behind every deadly statistic is a real person,” said Dr. David Yang, the AAA Foundation president and executive director. “This work helps us uncover the public’s perspective on traffic safety, enabling the creation of targeted solutions that make a real difference in reducing traffic crashes and fatalities.”

Safe Drivers admitted to driving less, while Most Dangerous Drivers, who admit to speeding, distracted, and impaired behaviors, logged more miles on the road, often in older vehicles with fewer safety features. Safe Drivers condemned risky driving behaviors, but other profiles seemed more indifferent to the dangers. Surprisingly, Safe Drivers and their riskier counterparts shared a similar disregard for the potential consequences of their actions.

Key Findings

Distracted Driving

  • Roughly 93% of drivers identify both texting/emailing and reading on a hand-held cell phone as very or extremely dangerous. Despite these perceptions, more than a quarter of drivers (27%) reported having sent a text/email while driving and 37% reported reading a text/email while driving.
  • Drivers predominantly agreed that people important to them would disapprove of distracted driving behaviors (85% to 96%, depending on the behavior).

Aggressive Driving Behaviors

  • Most respondents perceive driving through a red light (81%) and aggressive driving (89%) as very or extremely dangerous.
  • Fewer drivers perceive speeding as a dangerous activity and the speeding behaviors have the lowest perceived social disapproval of all the unsafe driving behaviors examined.

Drowsy Driving Behaviors

  • Drivers predominantly perceive drowsy driving to be very or extremely dangerous (96%); however, 20% of drivers reported having engaged in the behavior in the past 30 days.

Impaired Driving Behaviors

  • Drivers overwhelmingly perceived driving after drinking alcohol (95%) as very or extremely dangerous and 67% believed such a driver would likely be apprehended by police. Only 7% of respondents reported having engaged in this behavior in the past 30 days.
  • By comparison, only 70% of drivers felt driving (within an hour) after using marijuana to be very or extremely dangerous and 26% believe such a driver would likely be apprehended by police. Only 6% of respondents reported having engaged in this behavior in the past 30 days.

Identifying Profiles of Risky Driving Behavior Engagement

  • Based on the patterns of reported risky driving behavior engagement, the following five unique groups were identified using a latent class analysis and were interpreted as follows:
    • Safe Drivers (34.9%): Rarely engaged in any risky driving behavior.
    • Distracted Drivers (19.0%): Predominantly engaged in distracted driving behaviors.
    • Speeding Drivers (32.6%): Predominantly engaged in speeding behaviors.
    • Distracted and Aggressive Drivers (11.0%): Predominantly engaged in both distracted driving and aggressive driving behaviors.
    • Most Dangerous Drivers (2.5%): Engaged in all risky driving behaviors.
  • Safe Drivers reported driving less frequently than other driving profiles, while Most Dangerous Drivers, Distracted Drivers, and Distracted and Aggressive Drivers reported driving more frequently than other driving profiles.
  • Across all risky driving behaviors examined, more Safe Drivers perceived the behaviors to be dangerous and socially disapproved of, compared to all other driving profiles, though differences were not always statistically significant. There were no differences in perceived risk of apprehension between Safe Drivers and other driving profiles.

To read the full 2023 Traffic Safety Culture Index, visit the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety website.