9 in 10 Individuals Drive Dangerously

Aug. 20, 2019—A ValuePenguin.com survey found almost all drivers, 90 percent, admitted to dangerous driving behaviors within the past year. 

To determine the most common driving fails, ValuePenguin.com used Qualtrics to conduct an online survey of 1,033 Americans with a valid driver's license, with the sample base proportioned to represent the general population of drivers across the country. The survey was conducted in May 2019.

According to the report, 94 percent of car crashes are caused by human error and dangerous driving behaviors. More than one-third of licensed drivers said they have never been pulled over for a traffic violation, despite engaging in dangerous driving behaviors.

As a group, cell phone use accounts for a large portion of dangerous behaviors that drivers admitted to committing: 58 percent, 27 percent and 24 percent of drivers reported talking on the phone, reading texts and sending texts, respectively.

While cell phone use collectively accounted for the most common dangerous driving behaviors, eating while driving (67 percent), changing the music while driving (55 percent) and speeding (41 percent) made up the other most common dangerous driving behaviors identified in the survey.