Thirty-five percent of drivers said they feel less safe than they did five years ago, according to the second-annual 2009 Traffic Safety Culture Index released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

What’s more, the concerns expressed by motorists are impacting local drivers as well, as nearly one-half of all Arizona crashes in 2008 were caused by the top four concerns in the report: distracted driving, red light running, tailgating and speeding. 

“The Traffic Safety Culture Index emphasizes the public’s awareness of safety issues behind the wheel, especially distracted driving; unfortunately, those same drivers continue to engage in distracted behaviors while behind the wheel,” said Linda Gorman, public affairs director for AAA Arizona.  “It’s also interesting to note that on a local level, these same safety concerns contributed to nearly half of all of the 119,000 crashes in 2008.”

Following are highlights from the 2009 Traffic Safety Culture Index:

• 90 percent of respondents said people driving after drinking alcohol was a very serious threat to their safety; 87 percent said the same about text messaging or e-mailing while driving. 

• 80 percent of motorists rated distracted driving as a very serious threat to their safety, yet many admitted performing distracted behaviors like talking on the cell phone or texting or e-mailing while driving within the last month
  
  
• Over two-thirds admitted to talking on a cell phone and 21 percent admitted to reading or sending a text message or e-mail while driving in the past month
  
  
• Nearly 90 percent said that texting or e-mailing while driving was a very serious threat to safety, yet 18 percent of those same people admitted texting in the past month
  
  
• 58 percent said that talking on a cell phone while driving was a very serious threat to their safety, yet 55 percent of those same people self-reported talking on cell phones while driving in the past month

• Nine out of 10 people considered running a red light unacceptable, yet 26 percent of those same people admitted to running a red light. 

• Nine out of 10 people considered tailgating unacceptable, yet 24 percent of those same people admitted to tailgating in the past 30 days.   

• 63 percent considered speeding 15 mph or more on the highway unacceptable, yet 28 percent of those same people admitted doing so in the past month. Fully 95 percent of people rated speeding 15 mph or more over the speed limit on residential streets unacceptable, yet 21 percent of those same people admitted doing so in the past month.

To see how state drivers fared regarding these safety concerns, AAA Arizona reviewed the 2008 Arizona Crash Facts Summary, published by the Motor Vehicle Division.  The report showed that over 65,000 crashes—nearly half of all 2008 crashes—were caused by one of these top four driving concerns, including:

• 14,252 drivers were involved in a crash due to driver inattention

• 4,130 drivers who ignored a traffic signal were involved in a crash
  
  
• Speeding was a factor with 42,669 drivers who were involved in a collision
  
  
• 4,568 drivers were involved in a collision due to tailgating

“While more than one driving error can contribute to any crash, this report highlights that while the vast majority of drivers are concerned about safety on the road, many are engaging in the very behaviors that concern them,” continued Gorman. “Unfortunately, these actions are having real and oftentimes tragic consequences.  It is AAA’s goal that drivers will realize this and ultimately change their behavior for the safety of everyone on the road.”

AAA Arizona, the Arizona affiliate of AAA, provides automotive, insurance and auto travel services to nearly 800,000 Arizona members.  Annually, AAA’s Emergency Road Service responds to more than 450,000 calls for help on the streets and highways of the state as well as providing insurance, travel, and financial services to AAA members and motorists.  Since its founding in 1927, AAA Arizona has been a leading advocate for the safety and security of all travelers.