AAA Survey Shows RI Drivers Don't Practice What They Preach

Rhode Island drivers, like those throughout the country, think it’s unacceptable to drive well over the speed limit, run red lights, talk on a cell phone, and drive so sleepy they have trouble keeping their eyes open. But, just like drivers elsewhere, many do just that.

Last week, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety released its annual nationwide Traffic Safety Culture Index, designed to assess the attitudes and behaviors of drivers. Several states, including Rhode Island, were part of the survey and had their results broken out.

The survey showed that in Rhode Island:

• Exceeding the Speed Limit – 74 percent find it unacceptable to drive 10 miles per hour over the speed limit on a residential street, yet 71 percent admitted to having done it during the prior 30 days.

• Driving through a Red Light – 95 percent say it’s unacceptable to drive through a light that just turned red, when they could have stopped safely. 46 percent say they did it anyway.
  

• Talking on a Cell Phone- 63 percent (hand held) and 31 percent (hands free) say it’s unacceptable to talk on a cell phone while driving. During the prior 30 days, 85 percent admitted to doing so.
  

• Driving Drowsy- Almost everyone (96 percent) calls it unacceptable to drive when so sleepy you have trouble keeping your eyes open. More than three of ten (35 percent), however, say they did so.
  

• Texting – It’s wrong, said 95 percent of the 336 Rhode Island drivers surveyed, to type text messages or email while driving. 25 percent (who admit to texting during the previous 30 days) must not have gotten the memo.
  

“It’s a case of ‘do as I say, not as I do’ when motorists recognize the risks of certain behaviors but do them anyway,” said Lloyd P. Albert, Senior Vice President of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Northeast.

The news wasn’t totally discouraging. 96 percent says it’s unacceptable to drive when they think they may have had too much to drink. Only three percent admit to having done so.

Almost two out of ten drivers surveyed say they were in a crash as a driver within the past two years. They rate texting/emailing, driving after drinking, speeding, red light running, and aggressive drivers as the most serious roadway threats.

As to laws and regulations, 72 percent support a hand held cell phone ban, 85 percent favor the use of technology such as ignition interlock systems for convicted drunk drivers, and 95 percent support a ban on reading, typing, or sending a text or email while driving.

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