2023 Traffic Safety Culture Index

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety · 2024 · AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (full text — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This report presents the findings of the 2023 Traffic Safety Culture Index (TSCI), an annual survey conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety to examine the cultural environment of driving in the United States. The study was motivated by the persistently high number of motor vehicle fatalities, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimating 40,990 deaths in 2023. While risky behaviors such as speeding, alcohol involvement, and non-seat belt use are known contributors, the report aims to understand the underlying assumptions, beliefs, and attitudes that shape driver behavior. By analyzing public perceptions and self-reported engagement in unsafe driving, the TSCI seeks to provide insights for developing countermeasures aimed at behavior change. The methodology involved an online survey of 2,739 U.S. licensed drivers aged 16 or older, collected between August 1 and August 21, 2023. Participants were selected from a probability-based sampling panel representative of the U.S. population and were required to have driven at least once in the 30 days prior to the survey. Data were weighted to account for selection probability, non-response, and calibrated to Census population totals. The survey assessed perceived danger, risk of apprehension, social disapproval, support for laws, and self-reported engagement in distracted, impaired, aggressive, and drowsy driving. Key findings reveal significant gaps between perceived danger and actual behavior. While 93% of drivers identified texting or reading on a handheld phone as very or extremely dangerous, 27% reported texting and 37% reported reading texts while driving in the past 30 days. Similarly, 89% viewed aggressive driving as dangerous, yet approximately half of drivers reported speeding 15 mph over the limit on freeways. Support for legislation varied; 80% supported laws against holding phones while driving, but only 42% supported bans on hands-free texting. Regarding impaired driving, 95% viewed driving after drinking as dangerous, with only 7% admitting to the behavior, whereas only 70% viewed driving after marijuana use as dangerous. Latent class analysis identified five driver profiles: Safe Drivers (34.9%), Distracted Drivers (19.0%), Speeding Drivers (32.6%), Distracted and Aggressive Drivers (11.0%), and Most Dangerous Drivers (2.5%). Safe Drivers drove less frequently and perceived higher social disapproval of risky behaviors compared to other groups. The significance of these findings lies in the identification of distinct driver profiles and the disconnect between public perception and practice. The data suggest that while most drivers recognize the dangers of specific behaviors, engagement remains high, particularly for distracted and speeding behaviors. The identification of the "Most Dangerous Drivers" group, who engage in all risky behaviors, highlights a subset of the population requiring targeted interventions. Furthermore, the lower perceived danger and apprehension risk associated with marijuana-impaired driving compared to alcohol-impaired driving indicates a potential area for increased public education and policy focus. These insights are critical for tailoring countermeasures that address specific cultural attitudes and behavioral habits to reduce traffic fatalities.

Key finding

Latent class analysis identified five distinct driver profiles based on risky behavior engagement, revealing that while most drivers perceive distracted and impaired driving as dangerous, a significant portion still engage in these behaviors, with 'Safe Drivers' showing higher perception of danger compared to other groups.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 2739

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_aaa_foundation on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).

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

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

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

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, crash risk outcomes
• Methodological Resource: dataset resource