2009 Traffic Safety Culture Index
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Summary
This report presents the findings of the 2009 Traffic Safety Culture Index, the second annual nationally representative survey conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Motivated by the persistent high mortality rate from motor vehicle crashes—37,261 deaths in 2008 alone—the study aims to assess the prevailing social climate regarding traffic safety. The AAA Foundation defines traffic safety culture as a social environment where safety is highly valued and rigorously pursued. The research seeks to identify key indicators of how much the American public values safety and whether they perceive current efforts as sufficient. The data were collected via telephone surveys of 2,501 U.S. residents aged 16 and older between April and May 2009. The methodology employed a dual-frame design, combining list-assisted random digit dialing for landlines with random sampling of cellular numbers, including an oversample of rural areas. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish, with data weighted to correct for non-response bias and demographic distributions. The survey measured attitudes toward safety, self-reported driving behaviors, perceptions of social disapproval, and support for various safety interventions. The results reveal a significant disconnect between perceived threats and personal behavior. While 89% of drivers view drunk driving as a very serious threat and 95% consider it completely unacceptable, 12% admitted to driving after drinking in the past 30 days. Similarly, 87% view texting while driving as a serious threat, yet 21% admitted to doing so, with prevalence highest among drivers aged 16–19 (51%). Cell phone use was widespread, with 67% of drivers reporting talking on a phone while driving; however, hands-free use was viewed as acceptable by 61% of drivers. Speeding on freeways was common (44% drove 15 mph over the limit), with only 39% considering it completely unacceptable. In contrast, speeding on residential streets was viewed as unacceptable by 81% of drivers. Most drivers rated their own skills and safety as above average, despite 34% feeling that driving is less safe than five years ago, primarily due to distracted driving. The study concludes that while traffic safety is recognized as a serious issue, it often lags behind other priorities like education and the environment. There is broad public support for regulatory measures, including ignition interlocks for DWI offenders (88%), mandatory seatbelt laws (84%), and red-light cameras (68%). However, support for freeway speed cameras was lower (58%). The findings suggest that while social disapproval exists for severe violations like drunk driving, it is less pervasive for common distractions and speeding, indicating a need for continued cultural shifts to align behavior with safety values.
Key finding
In the 2009 nationally representative Traffic Safety Culture Index (n=2,501 U.S. residents 16+), large majorities viewed drinking and texting while driving as very serious threats and personally unacceptable, yet substantial fractions still reported recent risky driving—including 21% texting or emailing, 67% talking on a cell phone, 44% speeding 15+ mph on a freeway, and 12% driving after drinking in the past 30 days.
Methodology
survey
Sample size: 2501
Provenance
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| verify | partial | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
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.
- cultural cross national
- sex gender
- traffic safety culture
- incidence prevalence
- public messaging
- demographic disparities
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