2023 Traffic Safety Culture Index

Abstract

There was a small decline in motor vehicle crash fatalities in the US in 2023 relative to 2022. However, each death represents an unacceptable human, societal, and economic cost. While causes of motor vehicle fatalities are complex, risky driving behaviors such as speeding, alcohol involvement, and non-seat belt use are linked to tens of thousands of traffic deaths each year. The 2023 Traffic Safety Culture Index provides insights into understanding public perceptions, attitudes toward, and engagement in unsafe driving behaviors. This report examines patterns of responses to questions on engagement in driving behaviors to identify and describe risky driving profiles.

Headnote

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AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

There was a small decline in motor vehicle crash fatalities in the United States in 2023 relative to 2022. However, each death represents an unacceptable human, societal, and economic cost. While causes of motor vehicle fatalities are complex, risky driving behaviors such as speeding, alcohol involvement, and non-seat belt use are linked to tens of thousands of traffic deaths each year. The 2023 Traffic Safety Culture Index provides insights into understanding public perceptions, attitudes toward, and engagement in unsafe driving behaviors. This report examines patterns of responses to questions on engagement in driving behaviors to identify and describe risky driving profiles.

Distracted Driving

* Roughly 93 percent of drivers identify both texting/emailing and reading on a hand-held cell phone as very or extremely dangerous. Despite these perceptions, more than a quarter of drivers (27 percent) reported having sent a text/email while driving and 37 percent reported reading a text/email while driving.

* Drivers predominantly agreed that people important to them would disapprove of distracted driving behaviors (85 percent to 96 percent, depending on the behavior).

Aggressive Driving Behaviors

* Most respondents perceive driving through a red light (81 percent) and aggressive driving (89 percent) as very or extremely dangerous.

* Fewer drivers perceive speeding as a dangerous activity, and speeding behaviors have the lowest perceived social disapproval of all the unsafe driving behaviors examined.

Drowsy Driving Behaviors

* Drivers predominantly perceive drowsy driving to be very or extremely dangerous (96 percent); however, 20 percent of drivers reported having engaged in the behavior in the past 30 days.

Impaired Driving Behaviors

* Drivers overwhelmingly perceived driving after drinking alcohol (95 percent) as very or extremely dangerous and 67 percent believed such a driver would likely be apprehended by police. Only 7 percent of respondents reported having engaged in this behavior in the past 30 days.

* By comparison, only 70 percent of drivers felt driving (within an hour) after using marijuana to be very or extremely dangerous, and 26 percent believe such a driver would likely be apprehended by police. Only 6 percent of respondents reported having engaged in this behavior in the past 30 days.