Safe Driving Report 2018 | finder.com
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Finder’s Safe Driving Report 2018

An estimated 138 million Americans admit to driving while distracted in the past year.

Next time you’re on the road and see an erratic driver, take a closer look when you pass. According to a new finder report, there’s a good chance that driver’s chatting on the phone, texting friends or even fatigued from a long day (or night).

We surveyed 2,001 American adults about their riskiest habits to learn who our most dangerous drivers are — and what’s causing them to live in harm’s way.

What are the most common risky habits?

Almost half (44.9%) of all drivers admit to chatting on their phones while behind the wheel in the past year. The next most likely dangerous driving habit is speeding (30.1%), representing an estimated 70 million Americans who admit to driving over the speed limit.

Driver fatigue is also a serious concern, with an estimated 42 million drivers (18.1%) feeling sleepy while on our roads. Texting while in the driver’s seat is also a popular habit for 16.3% of Americans. And almost 1 in 10 (7.9%) admit to primping while driving — think plucking eyebrows, speedily shaving or giving teeth a quick clean.

When it comes to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, an estimated 6.9 million Americans (2.9%) admit to taking on this risk.

Let’s break down the data

Gender

Women are more likely to concentrate on their driving than men — 42.8% of women compared with 38.4% of men. But they’re also more likely than men (11.0% vs. 4.7%) to be the ones grooming themselves behind the wheel.

However, both genders are nearly equal when it comes to playing with their phones: 45.0% of women and 44.8% of men drivers admit to chatting, while 16.0% of women compared to 16.7% of men admit to texting.

Men are more likely to speed than women (at 31.9% of male drivers, compared with 28.4% of female drivers), drive under the influence (3.5% men vs. 2.5% women) and drive while fatigued (18.9% men vs. 17.2% women).

Generation

Unfortunately for millennials, they’re the most likely of all generations to be distracted by an activity while driving. Only 35.4% of millennial drivers say they concentrate while driving, compared with 38.1% of Gen Xers and 46.1% of baby boomers who say the same.

Millennials (6.1%) are nearly six times more likely than baby boomers (1.1%) to drive under the influence. Millennials (28.0%) are also four times more likely than baby boomers (7.3%) to text while on the fly.

Marital status

Surprisingly, those who are married or in a domestic relationship are most likely to speed (31.8%), followed by singles (29.4%) and divorcees (27.9%). Singles are most likely to fix their appearance while driving (9.6%), followed closely by divorcees (9.0%) and married couples (7.2%).

Can car insurance help?

We’re not surprised to find that US drivers are involved in more than 16 million car accidents every year. While car insurance can’t stop you or other drivers from living dangerously on the road, it can help protect your finances if you find yourself in a fender-bender — or worse.

No matter how you drive, it’s worth comparing car insurance policies and perks to find the best coverage for your specific needs. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Methodology

We analyzed data from a survey of 2,001 US adults commissioned by finder.com and conducted by Pureprofile in February 2018.

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