AAA Study Ranks Young Millennials as Worst Drivers

A new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety shows that as many as 88% of millennials engaged in at least one risky behavior while driving in the previous 30 days. As a result of these statistics, it is clear that the millennial generation is by far the most badly-behaved group of U.S. drivers. From texting while driving to running red lights to speeding, all of these risky behaviors are dangerous not only for these drivers, but also for other drivers and passengers on the road. Pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists are also at risk of serious injury or death as a result of millennial driving behavior. What is even more alarming is that in 2015, U.S. traffic deaths had grown to over 35,000, which is an increase of over seven percent from the prior year – the largest single-year increase in 50 years.

Even worse, many of these young adults believe that their risky driving behavior is perfectly acceptable. They simply do not understand the potentially fatal consequences of their behavior, both for themselves and for others. Realizing how risky their behavior is may be the only way to reverse the trend of drastically increasing traffic deaths in the U.S. Across the board, as people age, they become less and less likely to engage in dangerous driving behaviors. By the time people reach the ages of 60 – 74, only 67.3% admit to bad driving behavior. While this number is still unacceptably high, it is certainly better than the percentage of millennials.

Some of the risky behaviors that many millennials believe are appropriate include the following:

• Reading a text or email message while driving
• Typing or sending a text or email message while driving
• Driving 10 mph or more over the speed limit in a residential area
• Driving 10 mph or more over the speed limit in a school zone
• Driving through a light that had just turned red when they could have stopped safely

No matter the age of the driver, if you or a loved one suffers serious or fatal injuries in a motor vehicle accident, you may be entitled to compensation from the party or parties who are responsible for the accident that led to those injuries. In order to develop your claim for damages, we must determine which party or entity was at fault for the accident, acted in a negligent or reckless manner, or otherwise acted in a manner that caused death or injury to your loved one. At Boller & Vaughan, our Madison accident lawyers can help you with this inquiry and carefully guide you through any personal injury or wrongful death claims that you may have against various responsible parties.