There Are Six Types of Drivers, and Only 41% of Us Are “Safe Drivers”

Some people are worried about self-driving cars because they don’t think they’re safe.  But most HUMAN drivers aren’t safe.  Triple-A released a new study, which found that there are SIX types of drivers, and over half are UNSAFE.  Here they are . . . which one are YOU?

1.  Safe drivers, 41%.  The survey asked people about various risky and dangerous driving behaviors, laws, and rules of the road.  And they also had drivers self-report their behaviors behind the wheel.

This group had a good understanding of what’s safe and what’s not, and rarely engaged in bad behavior.  Women were more likely to be in this group than men.

2.  Speeding drivers, 23%.  These are people who admit to regularly speeding . . . about 15 miles-per-hour over the speed limit on highways . . . and about 10 over on residential streets.  But otherwise consider themselves good drivers.

3.  Distracted drivers, 15%.  These are people who admit to using their cell phones when driving, particularly texting and emailing.

4.  Distracted and aggressive drivers, 17%.  These are drivers who admit to messing around on their phones AND driving recklessly . . . like speeding, running red lights, tailgating, and darting in-and-out of lanes quickly.

5.  The “most dangerous drivers,” 2%.  These drivers admit to MANY risky behaviors, and didn’t seem to comprehend the dangers associated with them.

6.  Impaired drivers, 1%.  These are people who admit to driving after drinking alcohol or using marijuana.  Triple-A says rural drivers were far more likely to cop to driving impaired.

(It’s hard to say if 1% seems HIGH or LOW.  These are self-reported, which makes it seem low.  But they asked if people had driven impaired over just THE PAST MONTH, which makes this seem a bit high.)

(AAA / AAA Foundation)