Anyone who spends any time driving can attest that there are a lot of unsafe drivers out there. If it seems like things are getting worse, you’re not wrong. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety “fatal crashes involving risky behaviors like impaired driving and speeding remain an epidemic on our roadways.”
It might be surprising to find that many drivers are aware of their dangerous behaviors and even acknowledge them. A recently published report from AAA identified various types of dangerous drivers based on their admitted behaviors in the past month. Let’s look at a few of those.
Distracted and aggressive driving
Some 15% of people admitted to doing things like texting or reading texts while driving. A little over 17% of drivers admitted to engaging in distracted as well as aggressive driving.
Note that aggressive driving was described as including things like running red lights and quickly changing lanes. It could be argued that speeding is also aggressive driving, but that was another category.
Speeding
Nearly 23% admitted to driving at least 15 miles per hour (mph) over the posted limit on highways and interstates and at least 10 mph over it on residential streets, but they didn’t generally identify with the other risky behaviors.
Driving under the influence
Just over 1% of those surveyed admitted to impaired driving. Obviously, the real number is likely far higher. Meanwhile, another 2.4% admitted to all risky behaviors presented.
Regardless of how you categorize these various behaviors, all of them can be dangerous to everyone on the road. An official with AAA concluded, “Focusing on speeding drivers will deter other risky driving behaviors like impaired driving and red-light running…[and] will have the greatest impact on safety.”
If you’ve suffered injuries in a crash caused by another driver, it’s likely they were guilty of one or more of these things. That doesn’t mean getting a fair settlement will be without its challenges. Having legal guidance can help you get the compensation you deserve.
