You might want to think twice before you tap the Uber app on your phone. According to AAA, millenials are America's worst drivers, with 88 percent of drivers aged 19-24 engaging in at least one risky behavior behind the wheel during the past month. A recent report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that drivers aged 19-24 were most likely to engage in speeding, running red lights, and texting while driving. These findings coincide with a seven percent increase in fatal accidents between 2014 and 2015, which is the largest single-year increase in half a century.
Millenials feel no guilt about speeding in school zones, claims expert
"Alarmingly, some of the drivers ages 19-24 believe that their dangerous driving behavior is acceptable," said Dr. David Yang, executive director of the Foundation for Traffic Safety, in a statement published by Business Insider. The report found that 12 percent of drivers in that age group believe it is acceptable to drive 10 mph over the speed limit in a school zone, with half of drivers surveyed admitting that they have done so in the previous thirty days.
However, it appears that American drivers of all ages are becoming increasingly reckless behind the wheel -- not just young millenials. In every age group surveyed, more than 60 percent of drivers confess to dangerous driving behaviors.
But, millenials are far and away the most dangerous. The report found that millenial drivers text while driving at a rate that is nearly double that of other drivers.
Seven percent admit to driving after marijuana use
According to the AAA report, millenials were also the most likely to drive while high on marijuana. The survey found that seven percent admitted to smoking pot within an hour of getting behind the wheel.
‘‘It’s critical that these drivers understand the potentially deadly consequences of these types of behaviors,’’ said Dr. Yang, ‘‘and that they change their behavior and attitudes in order to reverse the number of fatalities on U.S. roads.’’
