(Press Release) A majority of Americans consider themselves to be good drivers but a new study by Allstate Insurance reveals that their candor tells a different, and dangerous, story.
U.S. drivers believe their own driving knowledge, ability and safe driving habits are better than other drivers on the road, 64% rating themselves as “excellent” or “very good” while dishing out those high marks to only 22%t of other drivers their same age. Even among close friends only 29% of motorists ranked their buddies “excellent” or “very good” drivers.
Across the country regional differences emerge.
In the Midwest drivers are least likely to give themselves top scores for driving ability, 25% rating themselves as “excellent” drivers, 6% lower than the national average. Conversely, 34% of the drivers from the South rate themselves “excellent.”
This confidence does not necessarily come from driver training. Formal driver training appears to be more prevalent in Midwestern states, where 77% report having had formal training, compared to 68% in the West, 66% in the Northeast, and 58% in the South.
Drivers don’t think highly of the abilities of peers from surrounding states. Nationally, Americans rate 53% of drivers from neighboring states as “average” or “poor,” and just 8% as “excellent” or “very good.” Drivers in the Northeast and South are the most critical of drivers from neighboring states.
Others who American drivers rated lower than themselves include:
Teen Drivers. They received the lowest rating of all groups, 81% considered to be “average” or “poor” drivers.
Senior Citizens. Seven in 10 received comparatively low scores.
Parents. Those with very young children in the car scored mediocre, 33% of U.S. drivers rating them “average” or “poor,” compared to 26% recognized as “excellent” or “good.”
“I know it’s wrong, but…”
Despite American drivers’ confidence in their abilities, many admit to practicing dangerous behaviors on the road.
Speeding. 89% say they’ve driven faster than the posted speed limit. 40% say they’ve driven more than 20 miles per hour over the limit.
Prevailing Westerlies. 58% of drivers in the West and 56% in the South say they’ve received a speeding ticket or other moving violation, compared to 50% in the Midwest and 46% in the Northeast. Among those ticketed, drivers in the West have the highest average number of citations, 4.6, compared to 3.5 in the South, 3.0 in the Midwest and 2.7 in the Northeast.
Men and Women. Among all those surveyed, men are more likely to speed, 48% of respondents, than women, only 30%.
About the Survey:
The survey of 1,000 American adults was conducted July 13, 14, 16 and 17 via landline and cell phone and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%. Of the 1,000 adults, the survey identified 848 drivers who hold a license and drive at least occasionally. The survey was conducted by Financial Dynamics (FD) for Allstate.
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