2015 Traffic Safety Culture Index

The Situation Eighth consecutive year of the Traffic Safety Culture index AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety seeks to measure and benchmark: Attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of American drivers To understand and strengthen a culture of safety on our roads

Released February 2016 Culture of complacency persists Prevailing attitude continues to be: “Do as I say, not as I do.” Key Findings

Methods General Public Sample of 2,545 U.S. licensed drivers age 16 and older who reported having driven at least once in the past 30 days, who completed the survey online Conducted July 28 – August 12, 2015 using probability-based panel Data collected by GfK; then analyzed by the AAA Foundation Data weighted to reflect the U.S. population

The Survey Perceived threat “Do you feel ___are a very serious threat, a somewhat serious threat, a minor threat, or not a threat to your personal safety?” Acceptability “How acceptable do you, personally, consider it to be for a driver to ___? Do you consider that completely unacceptable, somewhat unacceptable, somewhat acceptable, or completely acceptable?”

The Survey Behaviors “In the past 30 days, how often have you ___? Have you done that regularly, fairly often, rarely, just once, or never?”

Personal Experience with Crashes Nearly one in five drivers have been involved in a serious crash Nearly one in three Americans have had a friend or relative seriously injured or killed in a crash

Compared to 3 years ago, how much of a problem today is…? Aggressive Drivers

Compared to 3 years ago, how much of a problem today is…? Distracted Drivers

Compared to 3 years ago, how much of a problem today is…? Drunk Driving

Compared to 3 years ago, how much of a problem today is…? Drivers Using Drugs

Drinking and Driving

Cell Phones

Texting /

Speeding (15+ mph over) on Freeways

Speeding (10+ mph over) on Residential Streets

Red Light Running

Drowsy Driving

Public Support for Countermeasures

What can be done? Culture change is possible But: It is complex and long term There is no “silver bullet” or one-size-fits-all solution

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is a 501(c)(3) public charity located in Washington, DC that is dedicated to saving lives and reducing injuries. It is supported by donations from AAA/CAA Clubs, AAA/CAA members, and other organizations associated with AAA/CAA. For more information, go to: AAAFoundation.org Many more findings are available in the full report on our website