Report: Don’t Blame Millennials, Distracted Driving is Ageless. 8388

 Generation X¹ is more likely to use their phone when driving than younger generations (Millennials² and Gen-Z³) according to a wide ranging survey of Americans, conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Volvo Car USA. Findings revealed an alarming majority of Americans still use their phone while driving (71 percent), and identified Gen-X (parents of Gen-Z) as the most prevalent distracted drivers.

The full results are published in Volvo Reports: Finding Focus on the Road, the fourth in a series of Volvo Reports from Volvo Car USA and The Harris Poll, that explores the ever-changing relationship between Americans and their car. This edition explored the causes of distracted driving and what groups are most prone to dangerous practices.

“Distracted driving is not unique to younger generations. In fact, it’s a problem we are seeing across generations and demographics,” said Jim Nichols, Product, Technology & Brand Communications Senior Manager for Volvo Car USA.

Many of those surveyed feel there are more driving distractions today than there were five years ago. More than half of Americans (55 percent) feel the top threat to safety on the road is driving distracted, compared to driving under the influence (31 percent).

Additional highlights from the research included: 

• Gen-X and Millennials consistently outpace Zs in phone usage across multiple activities.
• Parents are primary culprits of using their phones behind the wheel (73% vs. 66% overall).
• One in three parents admit to using their phones often when their kids are with them.
• Many Americans (64%) are looking for ways to cut down on the distractions; among Gen-Z that number rises to 89%
• 33% of Americans drive in silence to minimize distractions and 32% turn phone on “do not disturb” to eliminate notifications
• 89% of Americans feel we need better education around the impact of distracted driving

Volvo, the longtime leader in vehicle safety, is committed to helping solve the problem by integrating category-leading features across design, safety and comfort intended to reduce distraction and protect drivers and others on the road.

Volvo vehicles include standard voice command capabilities and Bluetooth integration, allowing for hands-free control and communication. With one of the most robust voice control systems on the market, drivers are given hands-free control of media, navigation, temperature and more.

All of these fuctions combine toward Volvo’s Vision 2020, which states that no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo by year 2020.

This report is the fourth in a series of Volvo Reports from Volvo Car USA and Harris Poll designed to uncover insights into the American opinion across four core themes: design, safety, technology and environment.


Methodology

The national survey, Volvo Reports: Finding Focus on the Road was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Volvo among 2,035 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, with whom 1,665 are drivers, from June 5-7, 2018. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no esti­mate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About Volvo Car USA

Volvo Car USA, LLC, (www.volvocars.com/us) is a subsidiary of Volvo Car Group of Gothenburg, Sweden. VCUSA provides marketing, sales, parts, service, technology and training support to Volvo automobile retailers in the United States. For more information please refer to the VCUSA media website at: http://www.media.volvocars.com/us.

^{1 – Ages 35-45}

^{2 – Ages 25-34}

^{3 – Ages 18-24}

Source : Volvo Cars US.