AAA Study Reveals Millennials Are Now the Worst Drivers on the Roads
Car Accident Lawyer
Many parents of adult children experienced the “joy” of teaching their children how to drive during the teen years. Historically, teen drivers between the ages of 16 to 19 have had the highest percentage of car crash risk. Statistically, vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death for teenagers. However, a new study reveals that millennials are actually the most reckless drivers.
The study was conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Researchers found that millennials – those between the ages of 19 to 24 – engage in more bad driving behaviors than teen drivers or any other age group.
Millennials are more likely to drive over the speed limit by at least 10 to 15 mph than any other age group. In fact, they are 1.4 times more likely to speed through a residential neighborhood and twice as likely to speed through a school zone compared to other age groups.
They are also more likely to drive through red lights even when they have enough time to stop. Almost half of the millennial drivers said they had run a red light within the past 30 days, compared to one-third of other age group drivers.
The study also reveals that – despite all the education and warnings not to – millennials are more likely to engage in texting while they are behind the wheel. They are twice as likely as any other group to type a text or email while they are driving and 1.6 times as likely to read a message while driving.
Millennials are also more likely to be high on marijuana when they are driving than any other group. Almost seven percent admitted that they drive within an hour of getting high.
More than 88 percent of the millennial drivers who participated in the study admitted to committing at least one of those driving behaviors during the previous thirty days. Although a spokesperson for AAA pointed out that drivers in all age groups admitted in engaging in some bad driving behaviors in the prior month.
In total, there were 2,511 drivers who participated in the study. After millennials, the second most dangerous group of drivers were those between the ages of 25 through 39. Almost 80 percent of drivers in this group admitted to engaging in at least one of the bad driving behaviors. Seventy-five percent of respondents between the ages of 40 to 59 admitted to bad behaviors, putting them at number three. Teenagers came in at number four, with 69 percent admitting dangerous driving behaviors, followed by drivers 75 and older at 69 percent, and drivers 60 to 74 at 67 percent.
Contact a Car Accident Attorney
It is alarming that there are so many drivers on the road, not just millennials, who admit to engaging in so many dangerous driving behaviors which put the rest of us at risk of serious injury or even death. If you are injured in a crash caused by one of these negligent drivers, contact a car accident lawyer in Wytheville, VA to find out how they can help.
Thanks to The Law Offices of Mark T. Hurt for their insight into car accidents and millennials.