See Also: The Hidden Risks Behind Safe Drivers
Over Half of Drivers Confess to Speeding
A new survey from U.S. News & World Report explores drivers’ bad habits, with 30% failing to use turn signals, 51% admitting to speeding, and a startling 64% confessing to road rage.

Road rage ranked as the most common bad driving behavior in a recent survey conducted by U.S. News & World Report.
Source: U.S. News & World Report
Some 60% of U.S. drivers take full responsibility for their own bad driving habits, while 12% blame their friends and 28% blame family members for teaching them unsafe driving behaviors, according to a new survey from U.S. News & World Report.
The survey explores an array of risky behaviors behind the wheel, finding that road rage is the most common. A majority of drivers — 64% — admit to having experienced road rage while behind the wheel, while 27% say they have driven with passengers who act out.
For over two decades, speeding has been a factor in nearly one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Moreover, experts have noted a surge in speeding during the pandemic that has stuck with drivers right up to the present day.
It should come as no surprise then that more than half of drivers (51%) surveyed confess to speeding. Also noteworthy, 25% of those surveyed say passengers have pressured them to speed.
Other unsafe driving behaviors drivers admit to include failing to use their turn signals (30%), not wearing a seatbelt (28%), rolling through stop signs (27%), and driving with a pet in their lap (25%).
Drowsy driving is another risky behavior the survey identified. Some 37% of drivers admit to getting behind the wheel while feeling too tired. Nearly one in three (31%) say they have almost dozed off while driving, and 11% admit to falling asleep while driving.
NHTSA estimates that over 100,000 police-reported crashes due to driver fatigue occur each year. In 2020 alone, 633 people across the nation lost their lives in drowsy driving-related crashes, reports the government agency.
But for today’s drivers perhaps one of the worst habits is distracted driving, specifically as it relates to technology. Americans seem almost incapable of keeping their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road when a cell phone or electronic device is nearby.
Some 40% of drivers say they look at their phone while at a red light, while 27% admit to texting while driving. What’s more, 12% of drivers surveyed say they will look at their phone if they get a message while driving, and 8% say they regularly look at their phone while driving.
Most alarming, approximately one-fifth of survey participants (22%) say they have been in a car accident caused by someone being on their phone.
More Safety

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 →
Reducing Risk by Eliminating Phone Use Behind the Wheel
Hosted with the cofounder of Lifesaver Mobile, this episode addresses phone use behind the wheel and how to design a driving environment that actually helps prevents accidents.
Read More →
Cameras, Safety and Insurance: From Reactive Claims to Real-Time Prevention (Part 2 of 2)
Part Two: Commercial auto remains one of the most challenging and costly lines of coverage for fleet operators and insurers alike. Continue learning more about how to effectively address these issues from Onur Aksan, Enterprise Business Development Executive, Geotab
Read More →
How 5-Second Telematics Data Is Changing Fleet Safety
This episode connects with Steve Santostasi of Ford Pro and covers how a few seconds of data can make a difference in fleet safety.
Read More →
Managing Road Risk at Scale: Why Fleet Safety Needs a Data-Driven Framework
Insights from the FIA Road and Driver Safety Indexes reveal how to manage road risk on a larger scale.
Read More →
Stellantis Recalls 1.3 Million Jeep Vehicles Worldwide Over Fire Risk
Stellantis is recalling more than 1.3 million Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator models worldwide over a fire risk linked to power steering pump wiring.
Read More →
Coaching Is Not Training, Even When AI Is Doing It
AI-powered safety platforms can detect risky behaviors and deliver immediate feedback. But effective driver development still requires a foundation of training followed by coaching that reinforces those skills.
Read More →
How Emotions Behind the Wheel Can Affect Fleet Safety
During National Safety Month, fleets are encouraged to look beyond distracted driving and recognize how stress, fatigue, and emotional well-being influence driver performance and crash risk.
Read More →
