Robert Lake
Publisher
rlake@eTrucker.com

It comes as no surprise to truckers that four-wheelers don’t share the road very well with them. While the results of a recent poll about unsafe driving habits have made national news — truckers mostly shrug their shoulders and ask, “This is news?”

But the results should shock most motorists who think the riskiest drivers are teenagers. Mason-Dixon Polling and Research found that more persons in the age group 26-44 admitted to dangerous driving behaviors than other demographic groups in its survey of 1,100 motorists ages 16 and older. “Drive for Life: The National Safe Driving Test & Initiative” commissioned the survey, released this summer. The American Automobile Association, Volvo Cars of North America and Partners for Highway Safety and other safety, law enforcement and education groups designed the campaign to promote safer driving, and their findings have been startling.

The poll shows that 71 percent of motorists, including senior citizens, speed. Most respondents said it was OK to break the speed limit by five miles per hour, while about a third of men said it was acceptable to exceed the speed limit by 10 mph. Thirty-seven percent of respondents said it was OK to exceed the speed limit by 10 mph.

“These findings clearly show that almost every driver has engaged in a risky behavior at least once in the past six months,” said poll director Brad Coker. “In fact, more than 90 percent nationwide freely admitted it.”

People also admit engaging in other activities while driving: 59 percent say they eat, and 14 percent say they read while driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration research indicates that driver distraction is the main or a contributing factor in half of all accidents.