Drivers in North Carolina and across the United States may be interested in the results of a survey conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and GfK, a market research firm. The survey ran from Aug. 25 through Sept. 6 and asked 2,511 drivers about their habits while behind the wheel.
In the report released on Feb. 15, millennials were found to engage in the most unsafe behaviors while driving. Almost 70 percent of respondents aged 16-18 admitted to texting while driving, running a red light, or speeding in the previous 30 days. Drivers who are 19-24 years old made up the largest group of offenders, with over 88 percent of them confessing to engaging in dangerous behavior when driving.
In the survey, drivers informed the AAA they thought it was unacceptable for people to act aggressively or be distracted while behind the wheel, yet they often engaged in the very behaviors they denounced. For instance, 78.2 percent of respondents said it was ‘completely unacceptable” to read a text or email while driving, but at the same time, 40.2 percent of people admitted to doing it. Just about everyone regarded running a red light as unacceptable, but about one in three drivers admitted to doing it in the past month. These findings illustrate just how dangerous driving has become. There were 35,092 traffic deaths in 2015, a 7 percent increase over the previous year’s figures.
Those who have been injured in car accidents that were caused by careless drivers may consult with personal injury attorneys to determine how best to seek financial compensation. Experienced lawyers can collect all the available evidence associated with the accident such as photographs, witness statements, and reports to put together strong cases on behalf of their clients.
