After three months of staying at home due to COVID-19, drivers are returning to the roads. And AAA is urging motorists to avoid falling back into the dangerous driving habits discovered in one of their safety studies. It’s their annual Traffic Safety Culture Index.
“The pandemic has highlighted how decisions and behaviors can impact the safety of others. We need to remember that we’re all in this together as it relates to safety on the road as well.”
That’s Adrienne Woodlands with the AAA Auto Club Group in Michigan. She says they’re urging motorist to avoid slipping back into old driving habits. She points to a survey they did prior to the pandemic which she says, showed a significant gap between what drivers perceived as dangerous and what they did themselves.
“And it found that drivers perceived distracted, aggressive and impaired driving as dangerous yet many admit to engaging in one of those exact behaviors just prior to the survey.”
AAA has a number of tips to stay safe like keeping your cell phone at a distance.
“One of the areas we saw a large gap, was reading on a cell phone. Many, 90 percent perceived as dangers, but almost 40percent admit doing it.”
Other tips include driving the speed limit, staying alert and driving sober.
“If you’re going to consume, marijuana, alcohol or any type of potentially impairing medication, do not drive if you’re consuming any of those things.”
Woodlands says you can find the complete survey at AAAFoundation.org. or AAA.com
