November 1998

Spring 1998 Telephone Survey of New York Licensed Drivers
on
Aggressive Driving and Other Highway Safety Issues
Conducted for the New York State Governor's Traffic Safety Committee
by the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research, University at Albany,
and Fact Finders, Inc.

In April-May 1998, a statewide telephone survey was conducted of randomly selected New York State licensed drivers. The survey measured the opinions, knowledge, and behaviors of licensed drivers with respect to traffic safety issues and service provided by the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles.

 

Survey Method - The questionnaire was developed in consultation with the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee and other partners and underwent extensive pretesting. Random digit dialing was used to select a random probability sample of 800 subjects with a NYS driver's license or learner's permit. The sample was stratified to reflect the number of licensed drivers residing in each of New York's 62 counties. In theory, the statistical sampling error associated with the overall findings ranges from +2.1 - +3.5 percentage points.

 

Most Serious Traffic Safety Problem - When asked to name the most serious traffic safety problem on the roads they drive, 59.1 % of respondents indicated behaviors associated with aggressive driving (e.g., speeding, unsafe lane changes or passing), followed by poor road conditions (32.2%).

 

Aggressive Driving

• 88.4% of respondents said aggressive driving is a problem on the roads they drive, and 71.6% said that drivers are more aggressive today than five years ago.

• 54.8% of respondents see "dangerously aggressive driving" every day or almost every day. Drivers in New York City were more likely than respondents from Long Island or Upstate New York to report that they see aggressive driving daily or almost daily.

• Respondents most frequently described aggressive driving by other drivers as unsafe lane changes/passing (74.8%), speeding, (49.5%), tailgating (26.9%), not using signals (15.5%), or disobeying lights (10.9%) or signs (5.8%).

• In terms of their own driving, 3.4% of respondents said that they drive aggressively most of the time, 1 1.2% said they sometimes drive aggressively, and 44.0% of respondents said that they drive aggressively once in a while. The youngest drivers (I 6-24 years old) were more likely than other drivers to report that they drive aggressively sometimes/most of the time. Men were more likely than women to report that they drive aggressively sometimes/most of the time.

• 40.5% of drivers reported that they drive more aggressively when they are late or in a hurry; 17.0% drive more aggressively when angered by another driver's actions; and 19.3% drive more aggressively when they are in a bad mood.

• In describing their own aggressive driving behaviors, respondents most commonly mentioned speeding (30.3%), unsafe lane changes or passing (17.3%), tailgating (8.9%), and disobeying lights and/or signs (7.0%).

Drivers reported having engaged in the following behaviors in the past few months:

• shooting or swearing at another driver (29.5%)
• changing lanes in a way that may have been unsafe (21.7%)
• tailgating or flashing high beams at a slow-moving driver (17.4%)
• running a red Iight (15.7%)
• making an obscene gesture to another driver (12.6%)
• preventing another driver from passing (9.4%)
• intentionally cutting off another vehicle (4.5%)

Vehicle Speed

6.6% of respondents said they usually exceed a posted speed limit of 65 MPH by more than 5 MPH; 18.4% said they usually exceed a speed limit of 55 MPH by more than 5 MPH; 12.4% said that they usually exceed a speed limit of 30 MPH by more than 5 MPH.

 

Occupant Protection

• 60.5% of respondents believe that a driver is safer with an air bag; 11.4% believe an air bag poses greater risk, and 28.1 % do not know whether a driver with an air bag is safer or more at risk. 94.9% said they would buckle their seat belt when driving a vehicle with an air bag.

• 74.8% of respondents said that they always wear their seat belt, 15.8% buckle up most of the time, and 9.5% reported that they sometimes or never buckle up.

• 11.4% of respondents believe that New York's seat belt law is very strictly enforced, and 29.8% believe that it is somewhat strictly enforced.

• About one-third of respondents reported that children under 4 years old ever ride with them; 88.0% of these children were reported to always ride in a safety seat.  Less than half of all respondents (45.9%) knew that the safest location for a child safety seat is the middle of the back seat; an additional 48.0% knew that the safety seat should be placed in the back seat but were unsure of the precise seating position.

 

Other Highway Safety Issues

• 7.4% of respondents said that during the last year, they had driven after drinking too much alcohol.

• 23.3% reported that they have ever fallen asleep at the wheel, and 18.7% reported that they had been drowsy while driving in the last month.

• More than 9 in 10 drivers support increased penalties for drivers convicted of road rage or criminal aggressive driving.  About 9 in 10 support a law requiring that children under 4 ride in the back seat.  About two-thirds support a law to require all passengers riding in the back seat to wear seat belts, and three-quarters favor a law requiring people of all ages to wear a helmet when riding a bicycle on a public road.

With regard to public service announcements or advertising about five specific highway safety issues, respondents were most likely to have seen, read or heard something about drinking and driving (88.5%), followed by air bags (61.8%), seat belts (58.4%), child seats (53.7%), and drowsy driving (24.9%).

More detailed results may be obtained by contacting the Institute for Traffic Safety, 80 Wolf Road, Suite 607, Albany NY 12205-2604 (phone 518-453-0291, fax 518-453-0298).