A new report issued by Finder.com indicates that 138 million American adults willing admit to “driving while distracted,” which includes talking on the phone, speeding, and driving while fatigued. The firm’s research found that almost one in three drivers (30.1%) admit to driving over the speed limit, while nearly one in 10 (7.9%) admit to “fixing their appearance” while behind the wheel.
Finder’s 2018 Safe Driving Report noted that women said they are “more likely to concentrate on their driving” than men, with 42.8% of women drivers saying they don’t get distracted behind the wheel, compared to 38.4% of men. However, women are also over twice as likely to be the ones “fixing their appearance” while driving, with 11% admitting they do so, compared to only 4.7% of men.
Millennials are the most likely to be distracted while driving, with only 35.4% saying they concentrate while driving, compared to 38.1% of Gen Xers and 46.1% of Baby Boomers. Millennials are also four times more likely than Baby Boomers to text while driving; 28% compared to 7.3%, respectively.
Jennifer McDermott, Finder’s consumer advocate, noted in a statement that as only two in five American drivers saying that they “completely concentrate on the road” while driving (40.7%) in her firm’s survey, it is “not surprising” that U.S. drivers are involved in over 16 million vehicle accidents every year.
“What’s alarming is that so many of us admit to speeding, texting, driving while fatigued and even grooming, despite the amount of accidents on our roads,” she stressed. “It’s crucial that we all do our part in making our roads as safe as possible by limiting our distractions while driving.”
