Nearly All Drivers Admit to Risky Behavior

Burnsville, MN (KROC AM News) - A new study shows nearly 90 percent of motorists around the country put themselves and others at risk due to their driving behavior.

The study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety lists several unsafe behaviors while behind the wheel, including driving while distracted, impaired, drowsy, speeding, running red lights or not wearing seat belts.

Many of these factors played a role in traffic wrecks in the country in 2014 that killed nearly 33,000 people.

According to the report, 70 percent of those surveyed said they had talked on a cellphone while driving and more than 40 percent had read a text message or e-mail. Nearly half of those surveyed admitted driving 10 mph over the speed limit while on a residential street. One out of three said they had driven while drowsy.

“There is a culture of indifference for far too many drivers when it comes to road safety,” said Peter Kissinger, President and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “The vast majority of motorists believe they are more careful than others on the road, though most of them are not making safe decisions while behind the wheel. We’re asking every driver to make responsible decisions to make the roads safer for everyone.”

The report finds that, "1 in 3 drivers have had a friend or relative seriously injured or killed in a crash, and 1 in 5 have been involved in a crash that was serious enough for someone to go to the hospital."

Here is the full report.