AAA Survey Says Young Millennials are the Worst Behaved Drivers

In a year when U.S. traffic deaths had their steepest single-year increase in five decades (up more than 7%), a new report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reports that 88% of young millennials (age 19-24) engaged in at least one risky driving behavior in the past 30 days. This makes them the worst behaved drivers in the U.S. The survey included a list of risky behaviors that often lead to motor vehicle accidents such as texting behind the wheel, speeding, and running red-lights, all of which are known to increase crash risk. A whopping 50% of age 19 to 24-year-old survey respondents admitted to running a red light in the past 30 days.

To be fair to the millennials out there, most drivers behave badly according to the AAA survey. It’s just a bit alarming to know that these young drivers have already adopted dangerous driving habits.

Who are the worst drivers?

The survey lists by age group the percentage of drivers who reported that they engaged in speeding, red light running, or texting behind the wheel. The bottom line is that millennials engage in dangerous driving at the highest rate, but no age group has clean hands:

• Drivers ages 19-24: 88.4%
• Drivers ages 25-39: 79.2%
• Drivers ages 40-59: 75.2%
• Drivers ages 16-18: 69.3%
• Drivers ages 75+:  69.1%
• Drivers ages 60-74: 67.3%

Dangerous driving behaviors

The following are examples of the kinds of dangerous driving behaviors included in the survey questions.

Texting while driving

Drivers aged 19-24 were nearly twice as likely as all other drivers to admit to typing or sending a text message or email while driving (59.3% vs. 31.4%).

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 3,179 people were killed and 431,000 injured in traffic crashes involving distracted drivers in 2014. The National Safety Council estimates that using a cell phone while driving increases the risk of a crash by four times.

Speeding

The survey reports that drivers aged 19-24 were 1.4 times more likely than all other drivers to admit to driving at least 10 mph over the speed limit on a residential street.

The NHTSA says that about one in three traffic fatalities involves drunk drivers or speeding, which they consider to be racing, driving too fast for the road conditions, or exceeding the posted speed limit. Between 2004 and 2013, 29% of all traffic fatalities were speed-related.

Running a red-light

The AAA survey reports that nearly 50% of drivers age 19-24 admitted to accelerating through a red light that had just turned red when they could have safely stopped compared to 36% of all other drivers.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that 709 people were killed and approximately 126,000 were injured in crashes that involved running red lights. In another AAA Foundation survey, 94% of drivers said that it is unacceptable to accelerate through a red light if it is possible to stop safely. Of those same drivers, though, 39% reported having done so in the past 30 days.

You might feel like you’re surrounded by reckless, crazy drivers. The reality is, you are. You don’t need a survey to tell you that. It is important though to understand that no matter how many bad drivers are on the road, if one of those drivers causes a wreck, they are on the hook for the resulting damages. In other words, all drivers owe a duty of care to everyone else on the road. If you are involved in a car crash and suffer a serious injury, you may be able to take legal action against the at-fault party. We invite you to discuss your rights today with a Memphis auto accident attorney from the law firm of Bailey & Greer, PLLC. We will discuss your legal options with you, and we will get you on the path to recovery and compensation. You are encouraged to schedule a free consultation by calling 901-680-9777, or filling out a contact form today.