Distracted Driving Behaviors Affect More Than One-Third of All Drivers: AAA

Drivers overwhelmingly cite distracted driving as the leading roadway safety concern, followed by speeding and impaired driving.

A new survey suggests nearly one-third of U.S. drivers engage in distracted driving behaviors such as texting and social media use, despite broad recognition of the safety risks.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety published its 2024 Traffic Safety Culture Index survey earlier this month, examining driver attitudes and self-reported engagement in risky behaviors, along with views on roadway safety, government efforts, and how dangerous driving patterns have changed over time.

Distracted driving includes any activity that takes a driver’s eyes off the road, hands off the wheel or attention away from driving. Common examples include texting, eating, using navigation systems, talking with passengers, grooming or adjusting vehicle controls. Each of these behaviors is widely known to increase the risk of an automobile accident.

On average, distracted driving is linked to about nine deaths per day in the U.S., with most recent estimates showing more than 3,200 deaths and hundreds of thousands of injuries annually.

AAA’s 2024 survey polled more than 2,700 licensed drivers ages 16 and older who had driven within the month leading up to August 2024, when the survey was conducted. The sample was structured to reflect the national driving population. 

Researchers found sharp contrasts between how drivers view risky behaviors and how often they admit to engaging in them, including:

Cellphone use while driving:

• 97% of drivers said scrolling through social media is very or extremely dangerous, yet 11% of drivers said they had scrolled through social media while driving.
• 94% viewed texting or emailing as very or extremely dangerous, while 28% reported sending a text or email.
• 90% said reading on a cellphone while driving is dangerous, but 37% said they had read content on their phone while driving.
• 70% viewed talking on a phone as dangerous, and just 16% said the same about hands-free use.
• 84% to 97% said people important to them would disapprove of these behaviors

Other risky driving behaviors:

• 93% of drivers said drowsy driving is very or extremely dangerous, yet 25% admitted to driving while fatigued in the past 30 days.
• 93% viewed driving after drinking alcohol as very or extremely dangerous, with 7% admitting to doing so recently.
• 70% viewed driving within an hour of using marijuana as very or extremely dangerous, while 6% reported engaging in that behavior.
• 90% viewed aggressive driving as very or extremely dangerous.
• 80% said running a red light is very or extremely dangerous.
• Speeding was viewed as less dangerous than other behaviors and drew the lowest level of social disapproval.

Nearly all drivers surveyed (96%) said they were concerned about roadway safety, with distraction cited most often, followed by speeding, impaired driving and aggressive driving.

About half of drivers said they had changed their habits in recent years to reduce crash risks, including driving more defensively, slowing down or reducing phone use.

“Understanding the cultural environment of driving, drivers’ concerns about road safety, and their awareness of risky driving behaviors is essential for explaining why risky behaviors such as speeding, distracted driving, and impaired driving continue to contribute to tens of thousands of fatalities each year.”

— AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

Across six years of surveys, AAA found that drivers who report rarely engaging in risky behaviors consistently made up the largest group, while the most dangerous drivers remained the smallest segment and declined over time. 

At the same time, distracted and aggressive driving became more common, while speeding levels stayed relatively stable, affecting about one-quarter of drivers.

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