AAA: Millennials Are Worse Drivers Than Teens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It's not just teen drivers who are taking risks behind the wheel.
A new study by AAA shows well over half of all drivers have done things like texting behind the wheel, running a red light, or driving faster than the speed limit in the last 30 days, CBS2 reported.
The worst offenders are millennials.
The study found 88 percent of drivers ages 19 to 24 confessed to risky behaviors behind the wheel. Nearly 60 percent admit texting while driving, close to half have run a red light, and 12 percent speed in a school zone.
"They are engaging in some pretty risky behavior, but what's even more alarming is that the survey found that a significant portion of them believe that this is acceptable behavior," Robert Sinclair, Jr. of AAA Northeast told WCBS 880's Sean Adams. "Very interestingly, I found that these drivers (aged 19 to 24) were worse drivers than those aged 16 to 18."
AAA recommends more enforcement and education.
"We need to communicate the message to these young drivers that you're not as good as you think you are and you should not be engaging in these risky behaviors. They put themselves at risk, they put others at risk," Sinclair said.
Sinclair surmises this cultural phenomenon might be attributed to the overconfidence of youth, however, the survey also found other drivers are a bit hypocritical simultaneously condemning risky behaviors and then engaging in them.