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Millennials really are the worst drivers

IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR THE NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL AND THE ALLSTATE FOUNDATION - In this image released on Wednesday, July 3, 2013, Co-Host of Entertainment Tonight and mother, Nancy O’Dell, takes time from her busy schedule to help coach stepson Tyler as he learns to drive during the “100 deadliest days of driving.” O’Dell is the spokesperson for Drive it Home – a campaign launched by the National Safety Council and The Allstate Foundation to provide resources for parents with teen drivers. (Bret Hartman/AP Images for the National Safety Council and The Allstate Foundation)

Michael Timmermann | June 21st, 2017

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When it comes to behaving badly while driving, young millennials are the worst offenders, according to a new report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

The survey found that 88% of young millennials engaged in at least one risky behavior behind the wheel in the past 30 days, such as texting while driving, running a red light and speeding.

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Nearly 50% of drivers ages 19-24 reported driving through a light that had just turned red when they could have stopped safely, compared to 36% of all drivers.
Drivers ages 19-24 were 1.6 times as likely as all drivers to report having read a text message or e-mail while driving in the last 30 days.
Nearly 12% of drivers ages 19-24 reported feeling that it’s acceptable to drive 10 mph over the speed limit in a school zone, compared to less than 5% of all drivers.

Although young millennials (in this case, drivers ages 19 to 24) are most likely to speed, run a red light or text behind the wheel, AAA reports that other age groups aren’t far behind.

Here’s the percentage of drivers who reported engaging in at least one of those behaviors in the past 30 days:

Drivers ages 19-24: 88.4%
Drivers ages 25-39: 79.2%
Drivers ages 40-59: 75.2%
Drivers ages 16-18: 69.3%
Drivers ages 75+: 69.1%
Drivers ages 60-74: 67.3%

“Alarmingly, some of the drivers ages 19-24 believe that their dangerous driving behavior is acceptable,” said Dr. David Yang, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety executive director. “It’s critical that these drivers understand the potentially deadly consequences of engaging in these types of behaviors and that they change their behavior and attitudes in order to reverse the growing number of fatalities on U.S. roads.”

AAA said the findings come after U.S. traffic deaths spiked to 35,092 in 2015, an increase of more than 7%, which represents the largest single-year increase in five decades.

More than 2,500 drivers ages 16 and older took part in AAA’s survey.