2011 Traffic Safety Culture Index

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety · 2012 · AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

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Summary

The 2011 Traffic Safety Culture Index, published by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, addresses the persistent issue of motor vehicle crashes, which remain a leading cause of death in the United States. Motivated by the need to understand the social climate surrounding traffic safety, this report presents the fourth annual assessment of American attitudes and behaviors regarding driving safety. The study aims to identify gaps between public perception of safety risks and actual driver conduct, highlighting a prevalent “do as I say, not as I do” attitude where drivers condemn unsafe behaviors yet engage in them personally. The research utilized a nationally representative survey conducted from June 6 to June 28, 2011, by Knowledge Networks. The sample consisted of 3,147 U.S. residents aged 16 and older, drawn from a probability-based web-enabled panel. To ensure demographic representativeness, data were weighted to align with U.S. Census Bureau statistics regarding age, sex, race, education, and other factors. Drivers aged 16 to 18 were oversampled to allow for specific age-group analyses. The survey measured personal experiences with crashes, attitudes toward various risky behaviors, self-reported engagement in those behaviors, and support for related legislation. Key findings reveal a significant disconnect between perceived social norms and actual behavior. While nearly half of Americans have been personally affected by a serious crash, many engage in risky driving. Regarding distracted driving, 68% of drivers reported talking on a cell phone in the past month, and 35% admitted to reading texts or emails while driving, despite 94% considering texting unacceptable. Speeding is also widespread; 52% of drivers exceeded the speed limit by 15 mph on freeways in the past month, with 24% viewing this as acceptable. Other prevalent behaviors included running red lights (37%), driving while drowsy (32%), and driving without a seatbelt (23%). Although drinking and driving is universally condemned, 14% of drivers admitted to doing so in the past year. The significance of these findings lies in the identification of cultural contradictions that hinder safety improvements. While Americans broadly support traffic safety measures—such as laws banning texting while driving (87% support) and requiring ignition interlocks for repeat DWI offenders (90% support)—their personal behaviors often contradict these stated values. The report concludes that while traffic safety is valued in principle, the lack of rigorous personal adherence to safety norms suggests a need for stronger cultural shifts to reduce crash-related fatalities.

Key finding

U.S. drivers widely view drunk driving, texting, and other risky behaviors as unacceptable threats, yet substantial minorities admit engaging in those same behaviors within the past month—revealing a persistent 'do as I say, not as I do' traffic safety culture.

Methodology

survey

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified_with_issues.

Topics

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• traffic safety culture
• incidence prevalence
• cultural cross national
• public messaging

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence