If you find yourself eating your lunch while behind the wheel, you're not the alone. A new driver survey from Finance Buzz finds that more than two-thirds of drivers reported eating or drinking while operating a car in the last year. Finance Buzz says it surveyed 1,000 U.S. drivers to find the most commonly broken laws on the road. Among the findings:
- 67% of respondents admitted to eating while driving a car in the past year, making it the most reported dangerous driving activity. (While it in and of itself is not technically breaking the law, it could land you a ticket if it causes you to violate traffic laws as it falls under the distracted or reckless driving umbrella.)
- 62% of drivers reporting speeding at least once in the past year, including at least half of drivers of all ages
- 39% of drivers admitted to making phone calls without using hands-free Bluetooth
- 33% admitted to texting while driving.
- Nearly one in ten drivers admitted to driving without insurance.
Read more about the survey results here.
Distracted Driving Crashes
According to National Highway Safety Administration data:
- 3,275 people were killed in distracted driving crashes in 2023.
- An estimated 324,819 people were injured in traffic crashes involving distracted drivers in 2023.
- 8% of fatal crashes, an estimated 13% of injury crashes, and an estimated 13% of all police-reported traffic crashes were reported as distraction-affected in 2023.
- 7% of drivers 15 to 20 years old involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted at the time of the fatal crashes.
- 611 nonoccupants (pedestrians, pedalcyclists, and others) were killed in distraction-affected traffic crashes in 2023.
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