Allstate survey: I’m a better driver than you are
John Egan
Most Americans think they’re great drivers, but they don’t hold the same opinion about their close friends and their peers.
That’s one of the findings in a new Allstate survey.
In the survey, nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of American drivers rate themselves as “excellent” or “very good” drivers. Meanwhile, 29 percent of them put their close friends in the same category; it’s 22 percent for other people their age.
Men are more likely to rate themselves as “excellent” than women (36 percent versus 26 percent), as are college-educated drivers (35 percent) compared with those who don’t have college degrees (28 percent). Republicans rate themselves higher (70 percent) than Democrats (61 percent) and independents (61 percent).
Other results of the Allstate survey include:
• 53 percent rate drivers from neighboring states as “average” or “poor.” • 81 percent rate teenagers as “average” or “poor” drivers. • Parents with very young children in the car get “excellent” or “good” scores from 26 percent of American drivers. • 89 percent say they’ve driven faster than the posted speed limit, and 40 percent say they’ve driven more than 20 miles per hour over the limit. Men are more likely to speed than women (48 percent versus 30 percent). • 15 percent say they’ve driven while intoxicated, with men almost four times more likely than women to have done so (23 percent of men versus 6 percent of women). • 53 percent say they’ve gotten a speeding ticket or other moving violation. • More than one-third (34 percent) have sent a text message or email while driving. Drivers 18 to 29 years old are the most likely to text while driving (63 percent). • 56 percent say they’ve been involved in an accident, but only 28 percent of them say the accident was their fault. • Seven in 10 say that as a result of being distracted while driving, they’ve slammed their brakes or swerved to avoid an accident, missed a traffic signal or actually caused an accident.
The telephone survey of 1,000 American adults was conducted July 13-17. Of the 1,000 adults, the survey identified 848 drivers who have a license and drive at least occasionally. The survey was conducted for Allstate by Financial Dynamics.
