Distracted? Not me!

A new survey finds that while a larger majority of motorists feel “distracted driving” is a threat to roadway safety, most don't practice what they preach. According to the third annual 2010 Traffic Safety Culture Index compiled by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 52% of motorists said they feel less safe on the roads now than they did five years ago, with “distracted driving” cited as the leading reason; 88% of motorists said drivers who text and email while operating a vehicle are a very serious threat to their safety.

Yet the survey also discovered that the “do as I say, not as I do” attitude is prevalent throughout much of the driving public, said AAA Foundation president and CEO Peter Kissinger. Kissinger reported that 62% of drivers feel that talking on a cell phone is “a very serious threat to safety,” but 70% admitted to doing just that; 24% said they had sent text or emails while driving in the previous month.