New Jersey millennials might be more dangerous on the road than drivers in other age groups, but people of all ages admit to sometimes running red lights or texting while driving among other dangerous behaviors. According to a survey conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety in the late summer of 2016, almost 90 percent of millennials said that in the previous month they had engaged in dangerous behavior while behind the wheel.
While the 19-to-24 age group reported the most frequent dangerous behaviors, nearly 80 percent of the 25-to-39 group had also texted while driving, sped or run a red light in the last month. Dangerous behavior in the past 30 days was reported by a majority of people in every age group. This report was released in the wake of statistics showing more than 35,000 traffic fatalities in 2015, an increase of more than 7 percent over the previous year.
The study also found that people often engaged in dangerous behavior even though they believed those behaviors were unacceptable. For example, most people said drowsy driving was unacceptable, but 28.9 percent said they had done so in the past month. In addition, there was widespread support for a lowering of the blood alcohol limit to determine alcohol impairment and for increased use of ignition interlock devices as penalties for drunk driving.
All of these dangerous behaviors can lead to serious car accidents that can cause occupants of other vehicles to suffer catastrophic injuries. People who have been harmed by a negligent or reckless motorist may want to have the help of an attorney in obtaining appropriate compensation for their losses through a personal injury lawsuit.