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NEWS RELEASE CONTACT:
Michele Harris, director, AAA Traffic Safety Culture, |
8 out of 10 Consumers Feel Considerably Less Safe when Riding in a Vehicle with a Texting Driver, shows a recent AAA Consumer Pulse™ Survey
TAMPA, Fla. (Dec. 14, 2011) — Nearly 84 million people are expected to take to the road this holiday season. In fact, this year’s projected automobile travel volume is the second highest in the past decade. With so many people traveling to visit family, purchase last minute gifts, and prepping for holiday gatherings, not only will the roads be filled with holiday splendor, but also with people who have more on their mind than usual.
During the past 25 years, more than one million people died in motor vehicle crashes in the U.S., including 32,788 in 2010. While estimates of the number of crashes, injuries, and deaths caused by distracted driving vary widely due to limitations of existing motor vehicle crash data, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that one out of six fatal crashes and fatalities involved a distracted driver.
Distracted driving refers to any activity that takes a person’s mind, eyes, and/or hands off the wheel while driving, such as changing a radio station, programming navigation systems, talking on a cell phone, and texting while driving. Nearly one in four motorists (22%) admit they frequently talk on the phone while driving, while 17 percent said they frequently use a
“There is a growing concern about distracted driving and its impact on safe driving”, said Michele Harris, director, AAA traffic safety culture, The Auto Club Group. “Every year, nearly 40,000 people die on our nation’s roadways, and that is about the same number as if a 727 jet crashed every single day of the year. If this were to ever be a reality, people would demand that something be done about it.”
It is estimated that nearly 80 percent of all crashes involve some form of driver inattention. We all have the responsibility to help improve our traffic safety culture and we can do that by committing to stay 100 percent focused on the task of driving anytime we’re behind the wheel. For this reason, AAA, through its Traffic Safety Foundation, recommends a few tips to manage distractions while driving this holiday season:
- Turn it Off. If you need to make a call, pull over to a safe area first.
- Groom at Home. Shaving and applying make-up are best done prior to getting in the car.
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Plan Ahead. Program
- Keep the Kids Safe. Pull over to a safe location to address situations with your children in the car.
- Focus on the Task at Hand. Refrain from smoking, eating, drinking, reading and any other activity that takes your hands, mind and eyes off the road.
The Auto Club Group, the second largest affiliation of AAA clubs, offers travel, insurance and financial services to more than 8.4 million members across 11 states and two U.S. territories. This includes Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; most of Illinois, Minnesota and Tennessee; and a portion of Indiana. The Auto Club Group belongs to the national AAA federation with nearly 53 million members in the United States and Canada, whose mission includes protecting and advancing freedom of mobility and improving traffic safety.
The AAA Consumer Pulse™ Survey was conducted online among residents living in the Southern Region of The Auto Club Group (Florida, Georgia and Tennessee) from August 22 – 25, 2011. A total of 612 residents completed the survey. The survey has a maximum margin of error of +/‐ 4.0 percentage points. Overall survey responses are weighted by gender and age within state to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the adult population (18+) in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.
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AAA Auto Club South, 1515 N West Shore Blvd, Tampa, FL 33607-4505 United States