Bad behaviors behind the wheel spiked during the pandemic, with deserted roads bringing out the worst in drivers. Traffic and pedestrian deaths jumped in the immediate aftermath, but even as deaths begin to fall a few years later, drivers in a new study from AAA admitted to engaging in dangerous driving habits that they know are wrong, like speeding 15 miles per hour or more above the speed limit.
Nearly half of all the respondents admitted to cracking 15 mph or more on freeways in the last 30 days, while 36 percent sped 10 mph or more on residential streets. Twenty-seven percent ran a red light, while another 12.4 percent confessed to driving without a seatbelt.
The study also asked respondents to rate each of these behaviors as “very or extremely dangerous,” and 48.6 percent said speeding 15 mph or more was dangerous. Sixty-one percent said speeding on residential roads was bad, while 80 percent thought running a red light was wrong, but a bit less, 75.9 percent, thought not wearing a seatbelt was dangerous.
The study also has some other interesting, self-reported tidbits, like 35.5 percent of all respondents saying they’ve held and talked on a cell phone in the last month. A slightly higher percentage, 37.0 percent, admit to reading a text or email, while 26.7 percent manually sent a text or email while behind the wheel. Nearly 60 percent say they have used hands-free phone connectivity in the last month, like Apple CarPlay. Drivers 19-24 admitted to using their devices the most when driving.
While people are speeding and texting, they aren’t drinking and driving—or not admitting to it. Only 7.4 admitted to drinking enough that they may have been driving over the legal limit. Five percent said they drove within an hour of smoking marijuana. However, nearly 20 percent said they drove while they were so tired that they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
Check out the complete study here.