Most Americans Favor Stricter Distracted Driving Laws
But new survey results also underscore the reluctance of many drivers to ditch their own phone while behind the wheel.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Marines via Wikimedia Commons.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Marines via Wikimedia Commons.
Though 61% of American adults wish their state would do more to prevent phone use behind the wheel, more than half also admit to some phone use of their own while driving in the past 30 days, according to a new survey from EverQuote Insurance Services.
Additionally, 12% confessed to using their phone on most or all drives.
EverQuote Insurance Services, a business that helps customers compare auto insurance quotes, conducted the national online survey June 18-22 of this year. A total of 2,300 licensed American drivers participated.
Survey results highlight the impulse to respond to text messages quickly. An overwhelming majority — 83.9% — indicated they felt the need to answer a text message within an hour or less of receipt.
Survey participants were divided on the question of using a phone app to control behind-the-wheel phone use. A total of 52.4% said they would allow use of such an app, while 47.6% said they wouldn’t. Less than 40% of Millennials were agreeable to such a mobile app, while nearly 60% of Baby Boomers and 70% of seniors would allow it.
Men age 65 and above were more likely to agree to use this kind of app than women of the same age. But women ages 35-44 were 15% more likely to allow the app than men in the same age range.
The survey indicated that 96% of respondents viewed themselves as safe drivers. But 37% of those surveyed indicated that less than half of other drivers on the road are safe.
To read the full survey results, which include graphs, click here.
More Safety

The Safest Fleets Aren’t the Ones with the Most Technology
You’ve made the telematics investment. Here’s how to capture the other half of its value and build the safest fleet on the road.
Read More →
Hidden in Plain Sight: Fleet Compliance Risks
Fleet compliance isn't just about having policies — it's about consistently enforcing them. This practical guide reveals six hidden compliance risks common in public sector and shared fleet operations and outlines proven strategies to improve visibility, accountability, and audit readiness
Read More →
NETS Sets 2026 Fleet Safety Benchmark Conference for Indianapolis
The Sept. 15–17 program will feature fleet benchmarking data, case studies, emerging technologies, and implementation strategies while running alongside the NSC Safety Congress & Expo.
Read More →
Off-the-Job Crashes Account for 43% of Employers’ $61.7 Billion Crash Burden
NETS quantifies costs dispersed across fleet, risk, HR, and other departments while providing new per-crash benchmarks for employers.
Read More →
Ram Recalls More Than 1.27 Million 1500 Pickups for Seat Belt Anchor Issue
The recall affects certain 2019-2026 Ram 1500 pickups that may have improperly attached second-row seat belt buckle anchors.
Read More →How Better Visibility Cut Speeding Violations by 48%
Fleet leaders don't need more data, they need clearer visibility into what the data is saying. This case study explores how one utility replaced speeding-event counts with a single metric — miles driven in violation — to strengthen safety and significantly reduce speeding violations.
Read More →
Operation Safe Driver Week: Why the Industry's Oldest Safety Campaign Still Matters to Fleets
A look at how a 2007 enforcement initiative became one of the most consequential weeks on the fleet safety calendar, and what it means for your drivers in 2026.
Read More →
Nexar-Nauto Merger Aims to Give Fleets Better Safety Intelligence Through Larger Driving Dataset
Stefan Heck tells Automotive Fleet that combining more than 10 billion miles of driving history with Nexar's AI models will give fleets deeper insights into driver risk and roadway conditions than either company could provide independently.
Read More →From Silos to Solutions: Relationship Management for Safer Fleets
From telematics adoption and driver accountability to policy consistency and risk mitigation, this episode breaks down what it really takes to build a safer fleet culture without slowing business down.
Read More →
IIHS Launches First Commercial Vehicle Safety Evaluations
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has begun evaluating heavy-duty pickups and cargo vans for driver protection. Which models earned top marks?
Read More →
