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Drivers’ Bad Behavior Is Threatening Traffic Safety

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Since April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, it seems fitting that the National Safety Council would release their findings on the top things drivers do to endanger other people on the road.

“Most Americans recognize risky drivers on the roadways, but they are not adopting safer behaviors themselves,” said Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “The notion that bad things happen to other people, but will not happen to us when we are distracted behind the wheel, is akin to playing Russian roulette.”


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According to surveys collected over the past 12 months by the National Safety Council, it’s no surprise that a lot of drivers’ distracted and dangerous driving habits revolve around cell phones, sleep-deprivation, drug and alcohol indulgence, and humans’ invincibility complexes.

The National Safety Council’s survey data reveals the top offending and distressing habits of drivers include:

  • 47 percent of drivers believe it is safe to send a text via voice-dictation systems or manually while operating a motor vehicle.
  • 35 percent of teens admit their social media addiction gets the better of them while driving and 17 percent of this age group confess that they consider their own inability to focus has caused an accident.
  • 45 percent of drivers surveyed say they check email while driving because of their employers’ expectations.
  • 44 percent of responders admitted they have crashed in the last three years while they were either traveling or commuting for business purposes.
  • 71 percent of drivers surveyed think they can indulge in three drinks and still be okay to drive.
  • 13 percent of those surveyed said they have gotten behind the wheel after using marijuana in the last month.
  • 32 percent of drivers polled think new cars are capable of driving themselves.
  • 33 percent believe driving on less than four hours of sleep is totally fine, but according to the National Safety Council drivers who are sleep-deprived, “can be as impaired as drivers who are legally drunk.”

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The National Safety Council also reports that, “Two-thirds of drivers have felt unsafe because of another driver’s distraction, but just 25 percent feel their own distractions have put themselves or others at risk.”

News Source: National Safety Council