People Are Shaming Dumb Drivers And These 56 Are Unbelievable (New Pics)

In many places, people feel that such behaviors are becoming more frequent. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, the United States is among them.

While the country has seen a reduction in the number of fatalities from vehicle accidents, 49% of Americans say people in their community are driving less safely compared with five years ago. This figure includes 23% who say people in their area are driving a lot less safely.

Only a small share (9%) believes that driving behavior in their area has become safer. Another 35% don't see a change in people’s driving habits.

Some people are more likely than others to perceive an uptick in dangerous driving in their local area: 51% of Americans who personally drive at least once a week say people are driving less safely today, compared with 36% of those who drive only a few times a month or less often.

People from suburban areas (51%) also appear to perceive an increase in reckless driving in their communities compared with those in urban and rural areas (46%).

Out of six dangerous driving behaviors the survey asked about, driving while distracted by a cellphone tops the list of Americans’ concerns on the road: 78% say this is a major problem in their local community.

Meanwhile, 63% say that speeding, and another 63% say that aggressive driving—such as tailgating, weaving through traffic, or running red lights—are major problems where they live.

Americans who drive at least once a week are more likely than people who drive less often to say that cellphone distraction (80% vs. 66%) and aggressive driving (64% vs. 56%) are major problems in their area.

Smaller – but still sizable – shares of the public see other driving behaviors as problematic where they live. Roughly half of Americans say that people driving under the influence (51%) and driving in a way that puts cyclists or pedestrians at risk (47%) are major problems in their area.

When it comes to cyclist and pedestrian safety, Americans with lower incomes (53%) tend to worry more than those belonging to middle or upper income brackets (44% each).

In the past, studies have shown that lower-income communities have higher rates of pedestrian fatalities, as people without cars in these areas often rely on dark highway shoulders or other unsafe walking routes to get around.

Concerns about cellphone distraction on the roads are nearly universal among U.S. adults. But views on the other dangerous driving behaviors the study asked about can differ based on the type of community.

For example, adults in rural areas (58%) are less likely than those in suburban (63%) or urban (67%) areas to view speeding as a major problem where they live. Urban Americans, in turn, are the most likely to see the other four driving habits we asked about in the survey as major problems in their community.