National Phone Survey on 

Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors 
 

This publication is distributed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in the interest of information 

exchange. The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this 

publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the 

Department of Transportation or the National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration. The United States Government assumes no liability for its 

contents or use thereof. If trade or manufacturers’ names or products are 

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Suggested APA Format for This Reference: 

Tison, J., Chaudhary, N., & Cosgrove, L. (2011, December). National phone survey on distracted driving 

attitudes and behaviors. (Report No. DOT HS 811 555). Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Report No. 

DOT HS 811 555 

2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. 

4. Title and Subtitle 

National Phone Survey on Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors 

5. Report Date 

December 2011 

6. Performing Organization Code 

7. Authors 

Julie Tison, Neil Chaudhary, and Linda Cosgrove1 

8. Performing Organization Report No. 

9. Performing Organization Name and Address 

Preusser Research Group, Inc. 

7100 Main Street 

Trumbull, CT 06611 

10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) 

11. Contract or Grant No. 

DTNH22-06-D-00047/0008 

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 

U.S. Department of Transportation/NHTSA 

Office of Behavioral Safety Research 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE. 

Washington, DC 20590 

13. Type of Report and Period Covered 

Final Report 

14. Sponsoring Agency Code 

15. Supplementary Notes 

1 NHTSA, Office of Behavioral Safety Research 

16. Abstract 

As more drivers take their cell phones into their vehicles, distracted driving continues to grow as a traffic safety issue. Most U.S. States 

responded by enacting some sort of cell phone or texting ban. In November and December 2010, NHTSA conducted a nationally 

representative telephone survey of 6,002 drivers 18 and older from all 50 States and the District of Columbia. The goal of the National 

Survey of Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors was to assess current attitudes and self-reported behaviors about distracted driving. 

Also assessed were perceptions of safety, cell phone use, laws, fines, and enforcement. 

Most drivers will answer a call while driving and most will continue to drive after answering. About 2 out of 10 drivers (18%) report that 

they have sent text messages or e-mails while driving; about half (49%) of those 21 to 24 years old report doing so. More than half believe 

that using a cell phone and or sending a text message/e-mail makes no difference on their driving performance, yet as passengers, 90% 

said they would feel very unsafe if their driver was talking on a handheld cell phone or texting/e-mailing while traveling with them. Where 

gender, age, and income differences exist, males and younger respondents tend to underestimate the negative effects that cell phone use 

has on driving. Those in the upper income tier ($100,000/year or more) tend to report higher incidences of cell phone use while driving 

and perceive such behavior as safer than do those in the lower income tiers. Overall, most drivers report that driving becomes more 

dangerous when they take their eyes off the road for more than 2 seconds, and this is related to age. About one-third of drivers 18 to 24 

years old said they can take their eyes off the road for 3 to 10 seconds or more before driving becomes significantly more dangerous. 

17. Key Words 

Distracted driving Cell phone 

Text Message Telephone survey 

Distraction Handheld 

18. Distribution Statement 

Document is available through the 

National Technical Information Service 

www.ntis.gov. 

19. Security Classif.(of this report) 

Unclassified 

20. Security Classif.(of this page) 

Unclassified 

21. No. of Pages 

104 

22. Price 

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Executive Summary 

The use of cell phones while driving, for both texting and talking, is receiving national attention. 

To address the concern of cell phone use while driving most U.S. States have enacted some sort of cell 

phone or texting ban. As of October, 2011, GHSA reports that 34 States, Guam, and the District of 

Columbia ban texting for all drivers and 7 more States prohibit texting by novice drivers while driving. 

Thirty States and the District of Columbia prohibit all cell phone use by novice drivers and 9 more States, 

the Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia ban handheld cell phones for all drivers while driving. No 

State bans all cell phone use (handheld and hands-free) for all drivers (GHSA, 2011). 

In the first of several national telephone surveys, The National Survey of Distracted Driving 

Attitudes and Behavior assessed current attitudes, knowledge, and self-reported behaviors about cell 

phones, texting, and distracted driving of more than 6,000 drivers representing all 50 States and the 

District of Columbia. 

Key Findings: 

Common Distracted Driving Behaviors 

•	 The most commonly performed potentially distracting behaviors while driving are talking to 

other passengers in the vehicle (80%) and adjusting the car radio (65%). Other common 

behaviors include eating/drinking (45%), making/accepting phone calls (40%), interacting with 

children in the back seat (27%), and using a portable music player (30%). 

•	 Men are more likely than women to use navigation systems (55% of men, 46% of women), use 

smartphones for driving directions (30% men, 21% women), and use portable music players with 

headphones (4% men, 1% women). 

•	 Women are more likely than men to interact with children in the back seat (23% men, 31% 

women) and do personal grooming (3% men, 8% women). 

•	 Men and women are equally likely to make or accept phone calls (42% men, 39% women), read 

incoming e-mail or text messages (10% men, 9% women), and send messages (both 6%). 

•	 Drivers younger than 25 are two to three times more likely than older drivers to read or send 

text messages or e-mails. 

Phone-Related Distracted Driving 

•	 About twice as many (77%) respondents report answering incoming calls than making calls 

(41%) on all, most, or some driving trips. More respondents reported reading (10%) than 

sending (6%) texts or e-mails. 

•	 Respondents’ decisions to accept or place calls or messages while driving cluster around how 

important they felt the other person or communication was (ranging from 23% to 30%, followed 

by reasons related to work (14%) or socializing (14%). Respondents rarely mentioned traffic 

situations, personal safety, or State laws in their decisions about using phones while driving (1% 

to 4%). 

ii 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

g 

nt 

d 

ial 

ns 

ty 

n 

s 

0 10 20 30 40 50 

Who is/I am calling or messagin

How importa

Call/message is work-relate

Call is personal/soc

Answering Calls 

Non-stressful traffic conditio

Making Calls 

Personal safe

Need directions/other informatio

Sending Messages 

If state law allow

Percent Respondents 

Answer Make 

90% 

80% 

70% 

60% 

50% 

40% 

30% 

15% 20% 

10% 

0% 

80% 

73% 

43% 

39% 

70% 

84% 83% 79% 

74% 

62% 

38% 

52% 55% 49% 

33% 

Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+ 

•	 There were very few situations when drivers would never talk on the phone or never send texts 

or e-mails while driving. Bad weather was the primary driving situation cited by half the 

respondents (54%). About 25% said that bumper-to-bumper or fast-moving traffic would 

influence their decision not to place calls or send messages, but that seeing a police officer, 

driving at nighttime or in a marked school zone, or having a baby or child on board were not 

mentioned often (range from 1% to 6%). 

•	 When asked how they think their driving is different when talking on the phone or sending 

messages, about half (54%) said that talking on a handheld device and one quarter (25%) said 

that texting or sending messages makes no difference on their driving performance. Some said 

they drive more slowly when talking on the phone (20%) or sending messages (31%). 

Percent Answering and Making Phone Calls While Driving, by Sex and Age (% All, Most, or 

Some Driving Trips) 

Reasons One Is Likely to Use a Phone While Driving (Multiple Answers) 

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Ownership of Electronic Devices 

•	 Eighty-nine percent of respondents own cell phones; of those, over one third (37%) own 

hands-free headsets and one fourth (26%) have smartphones. 

•	 Rates of ownership are lower among adults 65 and older for all forms of electronic devices 

except built-in navigation systems. 

•	 Rates of cell phone ownership increase as income levels increase (82% in those earning less 

than $50,000; 95% in those earning more than ($100,000). 

Talking on the Phone While Driving 

•	 The majority of respondents (66%) indicate their most common action when receiving calls 

while driving is to answer and keep driving. The most common method of talking involves 

holding the phone in one’s hand (45%). 

•	 When making calls, speed dialing is the most common method (36%). 

•	 Males report making and answering more phone calls that are work-related than women 

(22% men, 8% women), and answering all incoming calls (20% men, 14% women). 

•	 Younger drivers 18 to 20 years old are more likely than older age groups to make phone calls 

while driving due to boredom. 

•	 Respondents under 25 are two to four times more likely than older drivers to avoid talking 

while driving when they see a police officer, but five times less likely to avoid talking while 

driving when merging with traffic. 

Perceived Effect of Phone Use on Driving 

•	 More younger drivers report that talking on a phone makes no difference on their driving 

performance and this varies with age from 61% for those under 24 to 50% for those 35 and 

older. Some report that they drive slower when talking on a phone and this also varies with 

age from 14% for the youngest age group to 21% for those 45 to 64. 

•	 Very few respondents (0% to 2%) report drifting out of the lane or roadway while talking on 

the phone. 

Sending Text Messages or E-Mails While Driving 

•	 Respondents under 25 report higher likelihood of sending text messages while driving than 

older drivers. More drivers under 25 send text messages while driving: 44% (18 to 20) and 

49% (21 to 24) compared to older drivers: 26% (25 to 34), 29% (35 to 44), 8% (45 to 64) and 

0.4% (65+). Those who send messages while driving report that they continue to drive and 

this decreases slightly with age: 73% (18 to 20), 68% (21 to 24), 64% (25 to 34), 68% (35 to 

44), 62% (45 to 64). Men are more likely to continue driving while sending a text message 

than women (70% men, 61% women). 

•	 The primary reason for sending a text message or e-mail across sexes and age groups is the 

level of importance of the message. 

•	 Men and respondents 35 to 64 report a higher likelihood of sending text messages that are 

work-related. 

iv 
 

 

 

 

Percentage Sending Text Messages or E-Mails While Driving, by Sex and Age (% Ever) 

60% 

50% 

40% 

30% 

20% 

10% 

0% 

49% 

44% 

19% 

26% 

19% 

17% 

8% 

0.4% 

Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+ 

 

 

 

•	 There are very few situations where respondents reported that they would never send texts 

or e-mail messages; the most frequent situation was bad weather (56% men, 51% women). 

Bumper-to-bumper and fast-moving traffic were mentioned next most frequently by the 

youngest and the oldest drivers (ranging from 20% to 40%). Drivers over 25 (6% to 9%) 

were less likely to send messages when merging with traffic than those 18 to 24 (less than 

1%). 

•	 A higher percentage of women than men said they would never send texts while moving 

(5% men, 12% women). 

Perceived Effect of Sending Text or E-Mail Messages on Driving 

•	 Men and women are equally likely (24%, 25%) to report that there is no difference in their 

driving performance when sending texts or e-mail messages. More individuals in the lowest 

income group (under $50,000) report texting makes no difference on their driving 

performance than individuals in other income groups. 

•	 Individuals in the highest income group (more than $100,000) report driving slower while 

texting than other income groups. 

•	 Younger drivers are two to five times more likely to report that they drift out of the lane or 

roadway when texting than older drivers: 9% (18 to 20), 15% (21 to 24), 5% (25 to 34), 3% 

(35 to 44), 4% (45 to 64). 

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Crash Experience 

•	 Overall, 6% of respondents reported having been in a crash and 7% in near-crash in the past 

year. Men have slightly more crash or near-crash incidences than women (15% versus 12%). 

Those 18 to 20 have the highest incidence (23%) and those 65 and older the lowest (8%). 

•	 Of those who were in a crash or near-crash, 6% report using the phone at the time; 4% were 

talking on the phone, 1% were sending a text message or e-mail, and 1% were reading a 

message. 

•	 Women report more phone involvement than men (7% versus 5%) and younger drivers 18 to 20 

report the highest level (13%), followed by those 25 to 34 (12%) in crash or near-crash 

incidences. 

Perceptions of Safety 

•	 Across all ages almost three-quarters of respondents (72%) identify 2 seconds or less as the 

maximum duration for which they can take their eyes off the road before driving becomes 

significantly more dangerous. One-third of young drivers 18 to 24 identified a longer duration (3 

to 4 seconds, 5 to 10 seconds or more). 

•	 As passengers, almost all respondents considered a driver who was sending a text message or email (86% men, 90% women) and reading e-mails or text messages (84% men, 88% women) as 

very unsafe and this perception increased with age from 62% in the youngest age group to 96% 

for adults 65 and older. 

•	 About one-third of respondents considered a driver who was manipulating a navigation system 

for driving directions (33% men, 38% women) or talking on a cell phone and holding the phone 

(32% men, 37% women) as very unsafe. This increased with age from the low 20s to 60s. 

•	 Forty percent of respondents report being very likely to say something if their drivers are talking 

on handheld cell phones, and 76% would say something if their drivers were texting or sending 

e-mails. 

•	 Women and older respondents are more likely to say something about unsafe driving than men 

and younger respondents (35% men, 45% women for talking on handheld phones; 71% men, 

80% women for sending messages while driving). 

•	 Respondents under 25 perceive sending and reading e-mails as less unsafe than older 

respondents.
 

•	 Respondents in the lowest income group (under $50,000) are more likely than others to view 

talking on handheld cell phones as very unsafe. 

Perception of Laws and Enforcement Severity 

•	 Overall, 38% of the respondents believe that their State has a law banning talking on handheld 

cell phones while driving and 61% correctly identified the law in their State (93% correct in 

States with a law; 53% correct in States without a law). Half (50%) report that their State has a 

law banning texting or e-mailing while driving (53% correct in States with a texting law; 36% 

correct in States without a texting ban). 

•	 About half of the respondents said they were very likely or somewhat likely to be ticketed if they 

used handheld phones (47%) or texted or e-mailed (49%) while driving. 

vi 
 

 

What Should the Fine Be for Cell-Phone-Related Infractions? 

Talking on Hand-held Texting or Emailing 

40% 

35% 

30% 

25% 

20% 

15% 

10% 

5% 

0% 

35%34% 

22% 23% 20% 22% 

16% 14% 

8% 5% 

2% 1% 

$0-$29 $30-$49 $50-$99 $100-$199 $200-$499 $500+ 

•	 The majority of the respondents support bans on handheld cell phone use (71%) and texting 

while driving (94%) and approve of fines of $100 or higher (69% for handheld cell phone use, 

79% for texting). Almost a quarter support fines in the $200 to $499 range. 

vii 
viii
 
C. Talking on the Phone While Driving....................................................................................................16
 

D. Sending Text Messages or E-Mails While Driving...............................................................................21
 

E. Perceived Effect of Phone Use on Driving...........................................................................................24
 

F. Perceptions of Safety ..........................................................................................................................26
 

G. Perceptions of Laws and Enforcement...............................................................................................29
 

IV. Results by Age and Sex .......................................................................................................................... 13
 

A. Ownership of Electronic Devices........................................................................................................13
 

B. Distracted Driving Behaviors...............................................................................................................14
 

G. Perceptions of Laws and Enforcement...............................................................................................45
 

H. Crash Experience ................................................................................................................................32
 

V. Results by Income................................................................................................................................... 33
 

A. Ownership of Electronic Devices........................................................................................................33
 

B. Distracted Driving Behaviors...............................................................................................................33
 

C. Talking on the Phone While Driving....................................................................................................35
 

D. Sending Text Messages or E-Mails While Driving...............................................................................39
 

E. Perceived Effect of Phone Use on Driving...........................................................................................42
 

F. Perceptions of Safety ..........................................................................................................................43
 

Table of Contents 

I. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 1
 

II. Method ..................................................................................................................................................... 2
 

III. Results – Overall ...................................................................................................................................... 3
 

A. Background Data .................................................................................................................................. 3
 

B. Distracted Driving Behaviors................................................................................................................. 3
 

C. Phone-Related Distracted Driving......................................................................................................... 4
 

D. Perceptions of Safety............................................................................................................................ 8
 

E. Perception of Laws and Enforcement Severity ...................................................................................11
 

H. Crash Experience ................................................................................................................................47
 

VI. Conclusions............................................................................................................................................ 49
 

VII. References ............................................................................................................................................ 51
 

Appendix A. Survey ....................................................................................................................................A-1
 

Appendix B. Sampling Considerations .......................................................................................................B-1
 

ix 
 

Table 17. How Texting/E-Mailing Affects Driving, by Sex and Age.............................................................26
 

 

Table 18. Perceived Number of Seconds a Driver Can Take Eyes off the Road Before Driving Becomes
 

Table 19. Perception of Safety as a Passenger When Driver Is Involved in Distracted Driving Behaviors,
 

Table 20. Does Your State Have a Law Banning Talking On a Handheld Cell Phone/Texting While Driving?,
 

Table 21. Proposed Fine for Talking on a Handheld Cell Phone/Sending E-Mail or Text Messages While 

Significantly More Dangerous, by Sex and Age ..........................................................................................26
 

by Sex and Age............................................................................................................................................27
 

by Sex and Age............................................................................................................................................29
 

Driving, by Sex and Age...............................................................................................................................31
 

Table 22. Crash or Near-Crash Involvement as a Driver in the Past Year, by Sex and Age.........................32
 

Table 23. Cell Phone Use at the Time of the Last Crash or Near-Crash, by Sex and Age............................32
 

Table 24. Percent Owning Electronic Devices, by Income .........................................................................33
 

Table 25. Distracting Driving Behavior Frequency, by Income ...................................................................34
 

Table 26. Usual Action While Receiving Calls While Driving, by Income....................................................35
 

Table 27. Manner of Dialing While Driving, by Income ..............................................................................36
 

Table 28. Reasons One Is Likely to Answer a Call While Driving, by Income..............................................36
 

Table 29. Reasons One Is Likely to Make a Call While Driving, by Income.................................................37
 

Table 30. Driving Situation in Which One Would Never Talk on a Phone, by Income ...............................38
 

Table 31. Manner of Sending a Text Message or E-Mail While Driving, by Income...................................39
 

Table 32. Reasons One Is Likely to Send a Text Message or E-Mail While Driving, by Income ..................40
 

Table 33. Driving Situations in Which One Would Never Send a Text or E-Mail Message, by Income ......41
 

Table 34. How Talking on the Phone Affects Driving, by Income ...............................................................42
 

x 

List of Tables 

Table 1. Distracting Driving Behaviors Frequency ........................................................................................ 4
 

Table 2. Reasons One Is Likely to Use a Phone While Driving ...................................................................... 6
 

Table 3. Driving Situations in Which One Would Never Use a Phone .......................................................... 7
 

Table 4. Effect of Using a Phone While Driving............................................................................................. 8
 

Table 5. Perceptions of Safety as a Passenger When Driver Is Involved in Distracted Driving Behaviors..10
 

Table 6. Percentage of Respondents Who Own Electronic Devices, by Sex and Age.................................13
 

Table 7. Distracted Driving Behavior Frequency, by Sex and Age ..............................................................15
 

Table 8. Usual Action When Answering a Call, by Sex and Age..................................................................17
 

Table 9. Ways of Making a Phone Call While Driving, by Sex and Age.......................................................17
 

Table 10. Reasons One Is Likely to Answer a Call While Driving, by Sex and Age ......................................18
 

Table 11. Reasons One Is Likely To Make a Call While Driving, by Sex and Age.........................................19
 

Table 12. Driving Situations in Which One Would Never Talk on a Phone, by Sex and Age ......................20
 

Table 13. Usual Manner of Sending a Text Message or E-Mail While Driving, by Sex and Age .................22
 

Table 14. Reasons One Is Likely to Send a Text Message or E-Mail While Driving, by Sex and Age...........23
 

Table 15. Driving Situations in Which One Would Never Send A Text or E-Mail Message, by Sex and Age
 

....................................................................................................................................................................24
 

Table 16. How Talking on a Phone Affects Driving, by Sex and Age...........................................................25
 
List of Tables (continued) 

Table 35. How Sending Text or E-Mail Messages Affects Driving, By Income............................................42
 

Table 36. Perception of Safety as a Passenger When Driver Is Involved in Distracted Driving Behaviors, by
 

Table 37. Perceived Likelihood of Getting a Ticket for Talking or Sending a Message While Driving, by
 

Table 38. Proposed Fine for Talking on a Handheld Cell Phone or Sending E-Mail or Text Messages While 

Income ........................................................................................................................................................43
 

Income ........................................................................................................................................................45
 

Driving, by Income ......................................................................................................................................47
 

Table 39. Crash or Near-Crash Involvement as a Driver in the Past Year, by Income ................................47
 

Table 40. Cell Phone Use at the Time of the Last Crash or Near-Crash, by Income ...................................48
 

xi 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

List of Figures 

Figure 1. Percentage of Respondents Receiving and Making Calls While Driving........................................ 5
 

Figure 2. How Long Can a Driver Safely Keep His or Her Eyes off the Road ................................................. 9
 

Figure 3. As a Passenger, How Likely Are You to Say Something if Your Driver Is _____________. ..........11
 

Figure 4.Likelihood of Getting a Ticket for Using a Phone While Driving ...................................................12
 

Figure 5. What Should the Fine Be for Cell-Phone-Related Infractions?....................................................12
 

Figure 6. Percent Answering and Making Phone Calls While Driving, by Sex and Age
 

....................................................................................................................................................................16
 

Figure 7. Percent Sending Text Messages or E-Mails While Driving, by Sex and Age ................................21
 

Figure 8. As a Passenger, How Likely Are You to Say Something if Your Driver Is _________, by Sex and
 

Figure 11. Likelihood of Saying Something if Driver Is Talking on a Handheld Cell Phone While Driving, By
 

Figure 12. Likelihood of Saying Something if Driver Is Sending Text Message or E-Mail While Driving, by
 

Age ..............................................................................................................................................................28
 

Figure 9. Likelihood of Getting a Ticket for Using a Phone While Driving, by Sex and Age........................30
 

Figure 10. Percent Supporting a Ban on Phone Use While Driving, by Sex and Age..................................30
 

Income ........................................................................................................................................................44
 

Income ........................................................................................................................................................44
 

xii 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NATIONAL PHONE SURVEY ON DISTRACTED DRIVING
 

ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR
 

I. Introduction 

NHTSA conducts periodic surveys to track status and trends in the driving public’s knowledge, 

attitudes, and self-reported behaviors about traffic safety issues. The information is used to develop 

countermeasure programs to alleviate troublesome behavioral safety issues and monitor progress in 

national programs. In recent years, the most talked about form of distracted driving is cell phone use, 

be it texting or talking or using other mobile electronic devices while driving. Other common driving 

distractions include eating or drinking, adjusting temperature or radio controls, using a navigation 

system, laptop computer, or a portable music player with headphones, or interacting with passengers. 

Most U.S. States have enacted some sort of cell phone or texting ban to address the concern. 

Texting bans exist in 34 States, Guam, and the District of Columbia for all drivers as of October 2011, and 

7 more States prohibit texting by novice drivers while driving. Thirty States and the District of Columbia 

prohibit all cell phone use by novice drivers and 9 more States, the Virgin Islands, and the District of 

Columbia ban handheld cell phones for all drivers while driving. No State bans all cell phone use 

(handheld and hands-free) for all drivers (GHSA, 2011). 

At the time NHTSA conducted this survey, the U.S. Department of Transportation had held two 

distracted driving summits in Washington, DC, in September 2009 and October 2010 that brought 

together researchers, government agencies, industry representatives, public advocates, and elected 

officials to discuss what could be done to reduce the preventable deaths and injuries that distracted 

driving is causing in America. The President issued an Executive order advising Federal workers to “put it 

down.” Oprah started the No Phone Zone and on April 30, 2010, the Oprah Winfrey Show held a No 

Phone Zone Day with a live TV broadcast and rallies in six cities— Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, 

Los Angeles, and Washington—and a national public service announcement campaign. NHTSA’s yearlong distracted-driving high-visibility enforcement demonstration programs were underway in Hartford, 

Connecticut, and Syracuse, New York. Visit the U.S. Department of Transportation Web site at 

www.distraction.gov for more information. 

NHTSA conducted a nationally representative telephone survey of more than 6,000 drivers in all 

50 States and the District of Columbia. The National Survey of Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behavior 

assessed current attitudes and self-reported behaviors related to cell phones, texting, and distracted 

driving. Respondents were also asked about their perceptions of safety, knowledge of applicable State 

laws and how frequently these laws are enforced. 

1
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

II. Method
 

A national sample of drivers 18 and older was selected from all 50 States and the District of 

Columbia. For the purpose of the survey a person was considered a driver if the person had driven in the 

past year. All 10 NHTSA Regions were represented proportionally to the size of each State’s population. 

A random digit dialing procedure was applied in which one eligible driver within each eligible household 

was selected for interviewing (see Appendix A for the survey). 

The 18-to-34 age group tends to be underrepresented when using landline random digit dialing 

procedures. Two procedures corrected for this bias. An oversample of people 18 to 34 was obtained by 

taking a subsample (random portion) of the entire landline random digit dialing sample and screening 

for eligible people 18 to 34. Additionally, a stratified sample of cell phone users was also drawn due to 

the increasingly large percentage of households that have cell phones only. Given the portability of cell 

phone numbers, this cell phone sample was also stratified by NHTSA Region, using both area code and 

ZIP Code of residence to correctly identify participants’ location. Participants were contacted through 

random digit dialing and interviewed if they met the selection criteria. The sample included 6,002 

respondents (see Appendix B for sampling considerations). 

A sequential weighting procedure was performed to correct for potential selection bias in the 

phone survey sample. A random digit dialing procedure gives households with more than one phone line 

a higher likelihood of getting selected. To correct for this bias, a first weight equal to the inverse of the 

number of different phone numbers in the household, up to a maximum of three, was computed. For 

those reached on a landline, the number of landline numbers was used; for those reached on a cell 

phone, the number of cell phone numbers was used in the weighting. The following steps in the 

weighting process were designed to correct for the planned over selection of a younger population 

subset. The age and gender distribution of the sample was corrected to reflect the distribution that 

would be expected based on FHWA’s Licensed Drivers by Age and Sex for 2008 (the most recent year 

available) (FHWA, 2010). The final step corrected for the fact that the total number of cases in the 

weighted sample was higher than that of the unweighted sample, due to the weighting procedure. With 

this correction, the weighted sample and the unweighted sample were the same size. All data reported 

here are descriptive only and are based on the weighted sample. 

2
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

III. Results – Overall
 

A. Background Data 

The sample was 49% male (51% female); 5% described themselves as Hispanic/Latino; 90% were 

White; and 6% were African-American. Five percent were 20 years old or younger, 15% between 21 and 

29, 17% between 30 and 39, 48% between 40 and 64, and 13% were 65 years old and older (2% did not 

reveal their age). The respondents reported their approximate household annual income as follows: 5% 

less than $15,000, 6% between $15,000 to $24,999, 21% between $25,000 to $49,999, 39% between 

$50,000 to $99,999, 17% between $100,000 to $149,000, 6% between $150,000 to 199,999, and 5% 

reported incomes of $200,000 and above. Highest completed level of education was also collected. 

Three percent of respondents had some high school education, 24% had high school degrees or GEDs, 

23% reported some college, and 51% had at least college degrees (32% college degrees, 19% graduate 

or professional school degrees). 

The majority of respondents (85%) reported driving almost every day, 11% drove a few days a 

week, and the remainder drove less often. A little more than half (53%) reported driving cars most of 

the time, 18% drive SUVs, 16% drive pickup trucks, and the remainder drive a variety of vehicles (e.g., 

minivans, motorcycles, trucks other than pickups). 

Respondents were asked which electronic devices they own. Survey responses indicated that 

89% own cell phones. Of those, 37% own hands-free headsets and 26% have smartphones (iPhones, 

Blackberrys, etc.). Forty-six percent own portable music players (MP3s, iPods, etc.), 37% own portable 

navigation systems (12% have built-in navigation systems in their vehicles), 28% have laptop computers 

with cellular internet access, and 2% have pagers/beepers. 

B. Distracted Driving Behaviors 

Respondents were presented with a series of behaviors and asked how often they engaged in 

each while driving. Choices were: on all driving trips, most driving trips, some driving trips, rarely, or 

never. The behaviors most commonly performed on all driving trips are talking to other passengers in 

the vehicle and adjusting the car radio. Other common behaviors include eating/drinking, 

making/accepting phone calls, interacting with children in the back seat, and using a portable music 

player. Table 1 shows the frequency of each surveyed behavior. 

3
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 1. Distracting Driving Behaviors Frequency (% of Respondents) 

Distracting Behavior On all 

trips 

On most 

trips 

On some 

trips 

Rarely Never (N) 

Talk to other passengers 28.6 23.6 27.6 16.3 4.0 (5,727) 

Adjust the car radio 17.2 16.8 31.6 18.5 15.9 (5,742) 

Use portable music player with 

speakers* 

7.2 7.6 15.0 8.5 61.8 (3,169) 

Interact with children in back 6.2 6.7 14.4 17.1 55.6 (5,740) 

Make/accept phone calls 5.7 9.4 25.4 26.7 32.8 (5,740) 

Eat or drink 5.6 8.2 31.7 33.2 21.3 (5,743) 

Use navigation system* 3.8 6.6 40.4 31.1 18.1 (2,522) 

Change CDs, DVDs, tapes 2.9 3.4 15.7 24.4 53.6 (5,743) 

Read e-mail/text message 1.2 1.4 7.0 11.4 79.0 (5,744) 

Use smartphone for driving 

directions* 

0.9 4.4 20.8 18.5 55.5 (1,525) 

Do personal grooming 0.9 0.7 4.0 12.8 81.7 (5,744) 

Send text message/e-mail 0.8 0.8 4.4 10.0 83.9 (5,741) 

Use portable music player with 

headphones* 

0.2 0.5 1.6 5.0 92.7 (2,674) 

Read book, newspaper, etc. 0.2 0.1 0.4 2.4 96.8 (5,745) 

*Only respondents who owned the specified device were asked about it 

C. Phone-Related Distracted Driving 

When asked specifically about cell phone use while driving, 23% of respondents report 

answering incoming calls on all driving trips and 27% report answering incoming calls on most driving 

trips. As for making calls, just 5% report being willing to place calls on all driving trips, 10% on most 

driving trips, and 26% on some driving trips. As shown in Figure 1, respondents are much more willing to 

answer than to make a call while at the wheel. The majority (66%) of respondents answer and drive, 9% 

answer and pull over, 12% answer and call back, 3% say they pull over then answer, and 9% hand the 

phone to a passenger. Not only do most people tend to answer and keep driving, but close to half (45%) 

hold the phone in their hands while driving. Seventeen percent use hands-free earpieces, 9% have builtin car systems, and 17% use the cell phone speakers. Others either hold the phones between their ears 

and shoulders (3%) or use various methods at different times (8%). When it comes to making calls, 36% 

of respondents use the speed dial or favorites function, 19% scroll through saved numbers, 17% use 

voice dialing, 16% use manual dialing, and 13% vary their manner of dialing. Figure 1 shows that most 

drivers are more likely to answer incoming calls than make them, but that only 14% of drivers claim that 

they never make calls while driving. 

4
 
Figure 1. Percentage of Respondents Receiving and Making Calls While Driving 

Receiving Making 

50% 

45% 

45% 

40% 

35% 

30% 27% 27%26% 

23% 25% 

20% 

20% 

14% 15% 

10% 

10% 

5% 

3% 5%
 

0%
 

On all driving On most driving On some driving Rarely Never
 

trips trips trips
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The survey inquired about respondents’ behavior regarding sending text messages and e-mails 

while driving. Eighteen percent of respondents admit ever sending a text message/e-mail while driving. 

Of those, 66% say they continue to drive, 15% pull over then send the messages/e-mails, 13% hand the 

phones to passengers, and 5% use voice commands. Common reasons for answering/making calls or 

sending texts/e-mails while driving were also surveyed. Some popular choices include who is 

calling/who I am calling or messaging, how important the call/message is, call/message is work-related, 

and call/message is personal or social. 

Table 2 lists all surveyed reasons and their distribution across phone use (i.e., answering a call, 

making a call, or sending a text message or e-mail). Weather and traffic conditions had very little to do 

with respondents’ decisions to accept or place calls or texts while driving. The highest ranking decisions 

clustered around how important the drivers felt it was for them to place the calls (32%) or the texts 

(42%), followed by who was calling them (29%). Making and accepting calls and texts that were workrelated or social-related were equally ranked between 14 to 18%. 

5
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 2. Reasons One Is Likely to Use a Phone While Driving (% Respondents) (Multiple Answers) 

Reason Answering Calls Making Calls Sending Messages 

Who is/I am calling or messaging 29.4 12.4 20.8 

How important 23.0 32.2 42.3 

Answer all calls 16.6 n/a n/a 

Call/message is work-related 14.6 17.6 11.8 

Call is personal/social 13.8 17.9 13.6 

Call is from someone I know 6.0 n/a n/a 

Call is routine/expected 3.3 n/a n/a 

Availability of phone 1.4 1.8 n/a 

Non-stressful traffic conditions 1.2 1.1 1.2 

Personal safety 1.2 0.7 0.1 

Need directions/other information 1.0 10.6 5.1 

Call is unexpected 0.8 n/a n/a 

Boredom 0.7 2.9 0.7 

Tired (talking/texting keeps me awake) 0.4 0.4 0.0 

Time of day 0.3 0.9 0.1 

Good weather conditions 0.2 0.2 0.0 

Call is from a number I don’t know 0.2 n/a n/a 

Traveling at low speed 0.1 0.2 0.1 

If state law allows 0.1 0.2 0.1 

No police officers in sight 0.1 0.0 0.0 

Report a traffic crash/emergency n/a 3.5 0.8 

Report a medical emergency n/a 2.3 0.8 

I think it’s safe to call/message n/a 0.4 0.8 

Other* 4.6 10.6 10.7 

(N) (3,770) (3,338) (704) 

* Consisted of a variety of open-ended responses 

6
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Respondents were also asked about situations in which they would never talk on the phone or 

send a message while driving (see Table 3). Weather and traffic situations were the most frequently 

reported situations: bad weather (54% for both talking and sending messages), bumper-to-bumper 

traffic (24% for both talking and sending messages), and fast-moving traffic (21% and 22% for talking 

and sending messages, respectively). A small percentage of respondents said they had been involved in 

a crash (7%) or near-crash (6%) in the past year. Of those, 4% admit they were talking on the phone at 

the time, 1% were reading texts or e-mails, and 1% were sending texts or e-mails when they were 

involved in a crash or near-crash. 

Table 3. Driving Situations in Which One Would Never Use a Phone (% Respondents) (Multiple
 

Answers)
 

Situations Talking on the Phone Sending Messages 

Bad weather 53.7 53.6 

Bumper-to-bumper traffic 23.8 23.5 

Fast-moving traffic 20.5 21.6 

Merging with traffic 6.0 5.2 

Driving in unfamiliar area/route 4.3 3.9 

Marked construction zones 4.1 4.0 

When I see a police officer 2.9 4.9 

When moving 2.4 8.2 

Driving at nighttime 1.9 2.5 

With a baby/child on board 1.5 2.1 

Marked school zone 1.1 1.2 

Driving a familiar route 0.7 0.4 

Winding/curving roads 0.6 2.2 

On short trips 0.5 0.5 

On long trips 0.4 0.0 

With other adult passengers 0.4 2.8 

Residential streets 0.3 0.0 

On an empty roadway 0.1 0.5 

Parking lots 0.1 0.0 

Other* 7.1 13.7 

(N) (3,817) (705) 

* Consisted of a variety of open-ended responses 

When asked how they think their driving is different when talking on the phone, about half 

(54%) of respondents reported that it makes no difference. When asked how they think their driving is 

different when sending text messages or e-mails, fewer (25%) believe it makes no difference. Among 

those who said that their driving was different, 2 out of 10 drivers (20%) said that they drive slower 

when talking on the phone and 3 out of 10 (30%) said they drive slower when sending text messages or 

e-mails. The next highest percentage (7%) was for drivers who reported that they drift out of lane or 

roadway when texting. The full list of answers and selection percentages are shown in Table 4. 

7
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 4. Effect of Using a Phone While Driving (% Respondents) (Multiple Answers) 

Effect on Driving Talking on the Phone Sending Messages 

No difference 53.7 25.0 

Drive slower 20.3 31.2 

Change lanes less frequently 1.5 0.3 

Driver faster 1.1 0.4 

Avoid changing lanes altogether 1.0 0.5 

Drift out of lane/roadway 0.7 7.0 

Look in rear/side view mirrors more 0.7 0.6 

Look in rear/side view mirrors less 0.7 0.5 

Increase distance from lead vehicle 0.6 0.9 

Changes lanes more frequently 0.5 2.2 

Use turn signal more regularly 0.4 0.1 

Follow lead vehicle more closely 0.3 0.0 

Apply the brakes suddenly 0.1 0.3 

Use turn signal less regularly 0.1 0.0 

Other* 18.4 31.4 

(N) (3,817) (704) 

*Consisted of a variety of open-ended responses 

D. Perceptions of Safety 

The next set of questions assessed drivers’ perception of safety in a variety of situations. 

Respondents were first asked how many seconds they thought a driver could take his/her eyes off the 

road before driving becomes significantly more dangerous. Overall, most drivers (68%) reported that 

driving becomes more dangerous when they take their eyes off the road for more than 2 seconds (see 

Figure 2). About one-third of drivers 18 to 24 years old report that they can take their eyes off the road 

for 3 to 10 seconds or more before driving becomes significantly more dangerous. Less than a second 

was the choice of 26% of respondents, 46% selected 1 to 2 seconds, 19% chose 3 to 4 seconds, 8% 

selected 5 to 10 seconds, and the remainder (2%) believe that driving became much more dangerous if a 

driver kept his/her eyes off the road for 10 seconds or more. Respondents were then presented with a 

series of situations and asked how safe they would feel as a passenger riding in this hypothetical vehicle. 

8
 
Figure 2. How Long Can a Driver Safely Keep His or Her Eyes off the Road 

50% 46% 

45% 

40% 

35% 

30% 26% 

25% 

19% 20% 

15% 

10% 8% 

5% 2% 

0% 

< 1second 1-2 seconds 3-4 seconds 5-10 seconds 10+ seconds 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 5 lists the situations and distribution of responses. As passengers, almost all respondents 

reported that they considered a driver who was sending text messages or e-mails (97%) and reading emails or text messages (96%) as very or somewhat unsafe. The majority of respondents considered a 

driver who was manipulating a navigation system for driving directions (75%) or talking on a cell phone 

and holding the phone (61%) as very or somewhat unsafe. Respondents were virtually unanimous in 

considering a driver who was watching a movie (99%), reading a book, newspaper, IPad, or Kindle (98%), 

or using a laptop computer (99%) while driving as very or somewhat unsafe. About one-third (32%) 

considered a driver who was talking on a cell phone with a hands free device as very or somewhat 

unsafe. 

9
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 5. Perceptions of Safety as a Passenger When Driver Is Involved in Distracted Driving Behaviors 

(% of Respondents) 

Tell me how safe you would feel if you 

were a passenger ridding in a car while 

your driver was: 

Very 

unsafe 

Somewhat 

unsafe 

A little 

less safe 

Safe, no 

problem (N) 

Watching a movie 96.7 2.5 0.6 0.3 (5,824) 

Using a laptop computer 95.2 3.4 0.7 0.7 (5,823) 

Reading such as a book, newspaper, iPad 

or Kindle 

94.9 3.4 1.0 0.7 (5,827) 

Sending text messages or e-mails 88.1 8.6 2.7 0.7 (5,819) 

Reading e-mails or text messages 86.2 10.1 2.8 0.9 (5,823) 

Doing personal grooming 71.8 19.6 7.2 1.4 (5,812) 

Using a portable music player with 

headphones on 

62.4 23.3 8.8 5.6 (5,794) 

Manipulating a navigation system for 

driving directions 

35.4 39.5 18.9 6.3 (5,695) 

Talking on a cell phone (holding the 

phone) 

34.5 26.2 27.7 11.7 (5,794) 

Interacting with children in the back seat 28.0 35.6 24.2 12.2 (5,721) 

Eating or drinking 12.2 20.5 39.0 28.3 (5,764) 

Talking on a cell phone with hands-free 

device 

11.7 20.5 27.7 40.1 (5,768) 

Adjusting the car radio, tape, or CD player 10.1 29.7 28.3 31.9 (5,784) 

Talking to other passengers in the vehicle. 3.6 9.2 22.1 65.1 (5,756) 

Singing along to a song on the radio 2.6 7.7 11.8 77.9 (5,800) 

Most drivers reported that they would be very likely to say something if their driver was sending 

messages (76%) or talking on a handheld cell phone (40%) while driving. Figure 3 shows the response 

distribution for both talking and sending messages while driving. 

10
 
Figure 3. As a Passenger, How Likely Are You to Say Something if Your Driver Is _____________. 

Talking on handheld Sending Messages 

80% 76% 

70% 

60% 

50% 

40% 

40% 

30% 

24% 

19% 17% 20% 

13% 

10% 7% 

5% 

0% 

Very Likely Somewhat Likely Somewhat Unlikely Very Unlikely 

 

 

 

 

 

 

E. Perception of Laws and Enforcement Severity 

When asked if their State has a law banning talking on handheld cell phones while driving, 38% 

answered yes, 42% no, 5% yes, probably and 15% did not know. Overall, 61% of respondent correctly 

identified the laws in their State (93% correct in States with laws, 53% correct in States without laws). 

When asked if their State had a law banning texting or e-mailing while driving, 50% said yes, 21% no, 8% 

yes, probably, and 22% did not know. Fifty-three percent of respondents answered correctly (63% 

correct in States with bans, 36% correct in States without bans). Those who answered yes or yes, 

probably were further asked how likely one would be to get ticketed for such infractions. Figure 4 

shows the perceptions of enforcement severity for infractions related to texting/e-mailing and talking 

on a handheld cell phone while driving. About half of the respondents said they were very likely or 

somewhat likely to be ticketed if they used a handheld phone or texted or e-mailed while driving. 

11
 
Figure 4.Likelihood of Getting a Ticket for Using a Phone While Driving 

Talking Texting/Emailing 

35% 

28% 30% 27% 26% 25% 24% 24% 25% 

25% 

20% 

20% 

15% 

10% 

5% 

0% 

Very Likely Somewhat Likely Somewhat Unlikely Very Unlikely 

 

 

 

 

Public support for both types of law was high, reaching 71% for a ban on handheld cell phone 

use and 94% for a ban on texting or e-mailing while driving. Those who support the bans were further 

asked what they think the fine should be for cell-phone-related infractions. The majority of respondents 

approve of fines of at least $100 (69% for cell phone fines and 79% for texting fines greater than $100), 

as shown in Figure 5. Almost one quarter approve of fines in the $200 to $499 range. Respondents also 

approve of higher fines for texting/e-mailing than for talking on handheld cell phones while driving. 

Figure 5. What Should the Fine Be for Cell-Phone-Related Infractions? 

Talking on Hand-held Texting or Emailing 

40% 

35% 

30% 

25% 

20% 

15% 

10% 

5% 

0% 

$0-$29 $30-$49 $50-$99 $100-$199 $200-$499 $500+ 

35% 34% 

22% 20% 

23% 22% 

16% 14% 

8% 

5% 

2% 1% 

12
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IV. Results by Age and Sex
 

This section presents data broken down by sex and across six age categories (18 to 20, 21 to 24, 

25 to 34, 35 to 44, 45 to 64, and 65 and older). For the sake of ease of presentation, only the most 

popular answer choices are presented. As was the case with the overall results, data presented in this 

section are based on the weighted sample. 

A. Ownership of Electronic Devices 

Respondents were asked which of a number of electronic devices they owned. Table 6 shows 

the breakdown of ownership of these devices by sex and age categories. Although cell phone ownership 

is comparable between sexes, a larger proportion of men than women own smartphones (30% versus 

23%, respectively). A slightly larger proportion of women than men own portable music players (48% 

versus 45%, respectively) whereas a higher percentage of men own portable navigation systems (38% 

for men versus 36% for women) and hands-free headsets (40% for men, 35% for women). 

Table 6. Percent of Respondents Who Own Electronic Devices, by Sex and Age (Multiple Responses) 

Sex Age Group 

Device Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+ 

Cell phone 

(N) 

88.2 

(2,852) 

88.9 

(2,976) 

93.0 

(271) 

91.2 

(341) 

92.2 

(1,086) 

91.6 

(773) 

88.7 

(2,491) 

77.7 

(743) 

Portable music player 

(N) 

44.5 

(2,858) 

48.4 

(2,980) 

76.1 

(272) 

68.1 

(345) 

61.7 

(1,087) 

55.7 

(776) 

38.6 

(2,493) 

23.0 

(744) 

Hands-free headset* 

(N) 

39.5 

(2,522) 

35.2 

(2,658) 

32.1 

(252) 

47.1 

(314) 

43.0 

(1008) 

45.4 

(710) 

36.0 

(2,214) 

21.4 

(579) 

Portable navigation system 

(N) 

38.0 

(2,856) 

35.8 

(2,975) 

44.9 

(272) 

34.0 

(344) 

40.7 

(1,086) 

42.6 

(774) 

36.0 

(2,489) 

28.4 

(743) 

Smartphone 

(N) 

30.2 

(2,856) 

22.8 

(2,966) 

38.0 

(271) 

42.6 

(345) 

43.1 

(1,086) 

36.6 

(775) 

19.5 

(2,479) 

5.2 

(704) 

Laptop with Internet access 

(N) 

26.7 

(2,848) 

29.6 

(2,956) 

25.7 

(269) 

32.8 

(345) 

33.6 

(1,084) 

35.2 

(770) 

26.2 

(2,470) 

19.9 

(742) 

Built-in navigation system 

(N) 

12.9 

(2,856) 

11.2 

(2,979) 

7.0 

(271) 

4.0 

(346) 

14.5 

(1,087) 

15.3 

(658) 

11.8 

(2,490) 

12.4 

(744) 

Pager/beeper 

(N) 

3.3 

(2,855) 

1.6 

(2,980) 

2.2 

(272) 

1.2 

(343) 

2.9 

(1,087) 

3.5 

(776) 

2.4 

(2,493) 

1.1 

(743) 

*only asked to respondents who own cell phones 

More than 90% of respondents 18 to 44 report owning cell phones and although rates are 

similar in the 45-to-64 age group (89%), they are much lower (78%) in the oldest age group (65+). More 

than half of respondents 18 to 44 report owning portable music players (range 56% to 76%) with rates 

being lowest (23%) among the 65+ respondents. A similar pattern is seen with smartphone ownership, 

with the two oldest groups (45 to 64 and 65+) reporting lower ownership rates (20% and 5%, 

respectively) than the younger respondents (range 37% to 43%). Ownership of electronic devices is 

lowest in the oldest respondents for all categories but one (built-in navigation systems). 

13
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B. Distracted Driving Behaviors 

Respondents were presented with a series of behaviors and asked how often they engaged in 

each while driving: on all, most, or some driving trips, rarely or never. The behaviors most commonly 

performed on all, most or some driving trips are talking to other passengers in the vehicle (80%), 

adjusting the car radio (66%), eating/drinking (46%), and making/accepting phone calls (41%). The 

differences between sexes were few, whereas variations across age groups were sometime quite drastic 

(Table 7). 

As a general rule, men are more likely than women to use navigation systems (55% versus 46%), 

use smartphones for driving directions (30% versus 21%), and use portable music players with speakers 

(33% versus 27%); women are more likely than men to interact with children in the back seats (31% 

versus 23%) and do personal grooming (8% versus 3%). Instances of distracted driving behaviors are 

consistently lower among the 65+ age group. The major differences between age groups were seen in 

behaviors such as using portable music players, using smartphones for directions, and interacting with 

children in the back. Making or accepting phone calls while driving is more frequent in respondents 25 

to 44 (range 51% to 57%), less for respondents 18 to 24 (43% to 48%), and lowest in respondents 45 and 

older (13% to 38%). Both sending and reading text messages/e-mails are most frequent among those 

under 25 and least frequent among those 45 and older. 

14
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 7.Distracted Driving Behavior Frequency, by Sex and Age (% All, Most, or Some Driving Trips) 

(Multiple Responses) 

Sex Age Group 

Distracting Behavior Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+ 

Talk to other passengers 

(N) 

79.6 

(2,794) 

79.8 

(2,930) 

81.4 

(258) 

88.7 

(337) 

86.7 

(1,070) 

85.3 

(762) 

77.1 

(2,463) 

69.0 

(716) 

Adjust the car radio 

(N) 

67.4 

(2,802) 

63.8 

(2,937) 

70.5 

(258) 

84.0 

(337) 

78.9 

(1,069) 

74.8 

(766) 

62.5 

(2,469) 

37.5 

(722) 

Use navigation system* 

(N) 

55.0 

(1,277) 

46.4 

(1,246) 

58.4 

(126) 

70.2 

(124) 

59.5 

(512) 

56.2 

(393) 

45.5 

(1,067) 

34.0 

(268) 

Eat or drink 

(N) 

45.0 

(2,802) 

46.0 

(2,937) 

46.5 

(258) 

45.3 

(337) 

53.6 

(1,070) 

52.4 

(766) 

47.2 

(2,471) 

21.4 

(719) 

Make/accept phone calls 

(N) 

42.2 

(2,804) 

38.9 

(2,935) 

42.6 

(258) 

48.1 

(336) 

57.2 

(1,069) 

50.7 

(764) 

37.9 

(2,471) 

12.7 

(719) 

Use portable music player with 

speakers* 

(N) 

32.9 

(1,249) 

26.9 

(1,425) 

52.6 

(195) 

54.3 

(231) 

38.9 

(664) 

28.5 

(427) 

17.6 

(954) 

6.1 

(163) 

Use smartphone for driving 

directions* 

(N) 

29.8 

(851) 

21.2 

(671) 

41.6 

(100) 

44.5 

(146) 

30.7 

(462) 

24.8 

(281) 

14.9 

(482) 

5.1 

(38) 

Change CDs, DVDs, tapes 

(N) 

24.5 

(2,804) 

19.7 

(2,936) 

41.6 

(256) 

32.9 

(337) 

28.0 

(1,069) 

25.5 

(768) 

19.6 

(2,472) 

7.1 

(721) 

Interact with children in back 

(N) 

23.1 

(2,803) 

31.3 

(2,934) 

9.3 

(258) 

18.4 

(338) 

52.6 

(1,069) 

56.9 

(765) 

16.5 

(2,469) 

7.9 

(720) 

Read text/e-mail message 

(N) 

10.2 

(2,803) 

9.0 

(2,937) 

22.5 

(257) 

28.7 

(337) 

17.8 

(1,069) 

11.9 

(766) 

4.4 

(2,472) 

0.6 

(720) 

Send text /e-mail message 

(N) 

6.2 

(2,803) 

5.9 

(2,937) 

17.4 

(258) 

21.7 

(336) 

11.0 

(1,069) 

6.0 

(763) 

2.5 

(2,471) 

0.1 

(720) 

Use portable music player with 

headphones* 

(N) 

3.6 

(1,248) 

1.1 

(1,425) 

3.6 

(196) 

5.6 

(232) 

1.8 

(666) 

2.1 

(427) 

1.8 

(954) 

1.2 

(163) 

Do personal grooming 

(N) 

3.2 

(2,804) 

7.7 

(2,937) 

8.1 

(258) 

11.9 

(337) 

7.3 

(1,069) 

7.0 

(766) 

4.4 

(2,472) 

1.4 

(721) 

Read book, newspaper, etc. 

(N) 

0.7 

(2,805) 

0.8 

(2,938) 

2.7 

(258) 

2.1 

(337) 

0.8 

(1,069) 

0.8 

(766) 

0.5 

(2,472) 

0.3 

(722) 

*only asked to respondents who own the devices 

15 
 

 

 

 

 

 

(% All, Most, or Some Driving Trips) 

Answer Make 

90% 84% 80% 83% 79% 

80% 73% 74% 70% 

70% 62% 

60% 55% 52% 49% 

50% 43% 38% 39% 40% 33% 

30% 

15% 20% 

10% 

0% 

Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+ 

C. Talking on the Phone While Driving 

Frequency and Manner of Use 

When asked specifically about talking on the cell phone while driving, 23% of respondents 

report answering incoming calls on all driving trips and just 5% report they are willing to make calls on 

all driving trips. Figure 6 shows that male respondents answer and make phone calls more often than 

female respondents and that respondents 21 to 34 also tend to use the phone while driving more often 

than do younger and older respondents. The manner in which one answers the phone also shows some 

variation between groups (Table 8). Males (68%) show a stronger tendency to answer and keep driving 

than females (65%), whereas more women than men report that they answer and then call back (15% 

versus 10%, respectively). Men also tend to hold the phone in their hands (47%) more than women do 

(43%) whereas women rely on cell phone speakers more than men do (20% versus 15%). Across all age 

groups, the most common action is to answer and keep driving, which ranges from a high of 78% in the 

25-to-34-year-old group to a low of 44% in the 65+ group. The oldest group shows a stronger tendency 

to hold the phone in their hands while driving (62%) compared to their younger counterparts (range 

from 33% to 51%). 

Figure 6. Percent Answering and Making Phone Calls While Driving, by Sex and Age 

16
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 8. Usual Action When Answering a Call, by Sex and Age (% Respondents) 

Sex Age Group 

Actions Male Female 18-

20 

21-

24 

25-

34 

35-44 45-64 65+ 

Answer and drive 68.1 64.7 67.7 74.5 78.2 71 60.1 44.1 

Answer and call back 9.8 14.8 15.9 10.6 11.2 11.2 13.0 11.7 

Answer and pull over 9.5 7.7 0.5 2.4 3.6 6.6 12.4 22.1 

Hand phone to passenger 9.1 9.3 13.9 12.5 4.5 7.9 10.4 12.2 

Pull over then answer 3.5 3.4 2.0 0.0 2.4 3.3 4.1 9.9 

(N) (1,839) (1,871) (201) (255) (863) (579) (1,541) (222) 

Hold phone in hand 46.8 42.8 35.6 33.1 35.1 43.0 51.2 62.3 

Hands-free earpiece 18.2 16.6 18.8 13.6 19.7 21.3 16.6 9.0 

Cell phone speakers 14.9 19.9 35.1 36.2 20.1 14.8 12.8 8.5 

Built-in car system 10.7 8.1 3.0 7.4 9.5 9.7 10.0 12.1 

Varies 7.6 9.2 5.4 8.6 11.7 8.7 7.3 5.4 

Hold phone between ear and shoulder 1.7 3.4 2.0 1.2 3.9 2.6 2.1 2.7 

(N) (1,861) (1,894) (202) (257) (864) (5,88) (1,568) (223) 

Respondents were asked about the manner of making calls while driving. More than one-third 

(36%) of respondents rely on speed-dial for making calls. There are minor sex differences in manner of 

dialing, with speed dialing being the favorite, chosen by 32% of men and 40% of women (Table 9). 

Speed dialing is the most common method across all age groups, from a low of 33% for respondents 18 

to 20 to a high of 42% in the 21-to-24 age group. Manual dialing is more popular among the youngest 

(18 to 20 years old, 27%) and the oldest (65+, 22%) age groups than any other group (range 13% to 

18%). The youngest group uses voice-dialing less frequently than any other group (7% compared to a 

range of 14% to 20% in the older groups). 

Table 9. Ways of Making a Phone Call While Driving, by Sex and Age (% Respondents) (Multiple
 

Responses)
 

Sex Age Group 

Actions Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+ 

Speed dial or favorites 32.0 39.7 33.0 42.1 34.5 36.2 36.0 37.1 

(N) (1,669) (1,666) (185) (242) (827) (544) (1,335) (159) 

Scroll through saved numbers 21.2 17.6 24.3 20.7 19.7 16.4 19.9 16.4 

(N) (1,668) (1,667) (185) (242) (828) (544) (1,334) (159) 

Voice dialing 18.0 15.4 7.0 14.0 20.1 19.3 15.6 14.5 

(N) (1,669) (1,667) (185) (243) (827) (544) (1,335) (159) 

Manual dialing 16.7 15.9 27.0 14.4 12.8 14.0 17.5 22.0 

(N) (1,669) (1,667) (185) (243) (827) (544) (1,335) (159) 

Varies 13.0 12.4 9.7 9.5 14.9 15.4 11.5 8.8 

(N) (1,668) (1,668) (185) (243) (827) (544) (1,336) (159) 

17
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reasons for Use 

Main reasons reported for answering a phone call while driving are who is calling (reported by 

29% of all respondents), how important the call is (23%), I answer all calls (17%), call is work-related 

(15%), and call is personal/social (reported by 14% of respondents). Table 10 shows comparisons 

between sexes and across various age groups. The most striking difference between men and women is 

in the work-related calls, reported by 22% of men but by only 8% of women. Men also show a higher 

tendency to answer all calls (20% versus 14% for women). Women have slightly higher response rates in 

who is calling (32% versus 27% for men), how important the call is (25% versus 21% for males), and call 

is personal/social (reported by 16% of women and 12% of men). 

Table 10. Reasons One Is Likely to Answer a Call While Driving, by Sex and Age (% Respondents) 

(Multiple Responses) 

Sex Age Group 

Reasons Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+ 

Who is calling 

(N) 

27.0 

(1,871) 

31.7 

(1,898) 

37.4 

(206) 

31.9 

(257) 

30.2 

(865) 

30.7 

(590) 

27.5 

(1,573) 

25.4 

(228) 

Call is work-related 

(N) 

21.6 

(1,871) 

7.7 

(1,897) 

3.9 

(205) 

15.9 

(258) 

14.3 

(865) 

19.2 

(590) 

15.6 

(1,572) 

7.0 

(227) 

How important I think the call is 

(N) 

21.3 

(1,870) 

24.6 

(1,899) 

29.6 

(206) 

18.3 

(257) 

22.8 

(865) 

26.1 

(590) 

21.2 

(1,573) 

24.7 

(227) 

I answer all calls 

(N) 

19.6 

(1,871) 

13.7 

(1,898) 

14.6 

(205) 

18.3 

(257) 

18.5 

(864) 

14.6 

(590) 

15.6 

(1,572) 

21.1 

(227) 

Call is personal/social 

(N) 

11.8 

(1,870) 

15.8 

(1,897) 

10.2 

(205) 

16.3 

(257) 

13.3 

(864) 

14.7 

(590) 

14.4 

(1,573) 

10.6 

(227) 

Call is for someone I know 

(N) 

5.3 

(1,870) 

6.6 

(1,897) 

12.1 

(206) 

3.9 

(257) 

4.4 

(865) 

5.9 

(590) 

6.7 

(1,572) 

4.4 

(227) 

Call is routine/expected 

(N) 

2.7 

(1,871) 

3.8 

(1,898) 

1.5 

(205) 

1.6 

(257) 

2.1 

(864) 

3.1 

(590) 

3.6 

(1,572) 

8.4 

(227) 

Twenty-one percent of respondents 65 and older answer all phone calls, which is a slightly 

higher percentage than that shown by other age groups, whose response rates range from 15 to 19%. 

The youngest respondents (18 to 20 years old) are more likely to answer based on who is calling (37%) 

than respondents in other age groups (range 25% to 32%), and they also show higher response rate to 

how important the call and call is from someone I know than older respondents. Across all age groups, 

respondents made a decision to answer the call based on who is calling and how important I think the 

call is. Both the youngest and oldest age groups have lower rates of call is work-related (4% and 7%, 

respectively) than those 21 to 64 (range 14% to 19%). Across all age groups, the responses to workrelated or personal-social were similar although the youngest and oldest groups tend to be lower than 

those reported by other age groups. 

The top reasons for making a call while driving are: how important the call is (32%), call is 

personal or social (18%), call is work-related (18%), who I am calling (12%), and need 

18
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

directions/information (11%). Table 11 shows the distribution of responses by sex and by age. As is the 

case with answering calls while driving, more men than women choose to make a call for work-related 

reasons (27% and 9%, respectively). Women are more like to make a call if they need directions or 

information than are men (13% versus 8%). Respondents 35 to 44 and 45 to 64 are more likely than 

others to make a call for work-related reasons (23% and 20%, respectively versus 10 to 15% for others). 

Twenty-six percent of respondents 21 to 24 report that they are likely to make a call for personal or 

social reasons, a higher rate than that shown by any other age group (range 15% to 18%). Respondents 

in the two youngest age groups are more likely than their older counterparts to make a call if they need 

directions or information. Twenty-three percent of respondents 18 to 20 and 18% of those 21 to 24 pick 

that option compared to a range of 7 to 12% for the older age groups. The youngest group also selected 

report a medical emergency (7%) and boredom (6%) more often than older respondents. 

Table 11. Reasons One Is Likely to Make a Call While Driving, by Sex and Age (% Respondents) 

(Multiple Responses) 

Sex Age Group 

Reasons Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+ 

How important I think the call is 

(N) 

30.9 

(1,668) 

33.5 

(1,668) 

27.6 

(185) 

29.6 

(243) 

31.9 

(828) 

31.6 

(544) 

33.9 

(1,335) 

28.3 

(159) 

Call is work-related 

(N) 

26.7 

(1,669) 

8.5 

(1,666) 

10.3 

(185) 

15.2 

(243) 

14.0 

(826) 

22.6 

(544) 

20.1 

(1,335) 

13.2 

(159) 

Call is personal/social 

(N) 

17.7 

(1,668) 

18.1 

(1,666) 

15.1 

(185) 

26.4 

(242) 

18.0 

(826) 

18.4 

(544) 

16.8 

(1,335) 

17.6 

(159) 

Who I am calling 

(N) 

12.4 

(1,668) 

12.5 

(1,669) 

14.1 

(185) 

14.4 

(243) 

12.2 

(828) 

12.1 

(544) 

11.8 

(1,335) 

15.7 

(159) 

Need directions/information 

(N) 

8.3 

(1,668) 

12.8 

(1,667) 

23.2 

(185) 

17.7 

(243) 

12.1 

(826) 

7.2 

(544) 

7.8 

(1,335) 

10.7 

(159) 

Report a traffic crash/emergency 

(N) 

3.1 

(1,669) 

4.0 

(1,667) 

5.4 

(185) 

2.1 

(243) 

3.0 

(827) 

3.3 

(544) 

3.7 

(1,335) 

5.7 

(159) 

Boredom 

(N) 

2.7 

(1,669) 

3.1 

(1,667) 

5.9 

(185) 

1.6 

(243) 

4.2 

(826) 

3.9 

(544) 

1.6 

(1,335) 

1.3 

(159) 

Report a medical emergency 

(N) 

2.1 

(1,668) 

2.5 

(1,666) 

6.5 

(184) 

2.1 

(242) 

1.3 

(827) 

1.5 

(543) 

2.5 

(1,335) 

3.8 

(159) 

19
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reasons for Non-Use 

Respondents were asked about situations in which they would never talk on the phone while 

driving. Weather and traffic conditions were the most frequently given answers. About half (54%) of 

respondents said they would never talk on the phone while driving in bad weather. About one quarter 

(24%) reported bumper-to-bumper traffic, and fast-moving traffic (21%). Table 12 shows the pattern of 

responses across sexes and across age groups. A slightly higher percentage of women (56%) than men 

(52%) report bad weather as a situation in which talking on the phone while driving should be avoided, 

whereas responses to other situations are quite similar between sexes and most respondents did not 

select any of the other conditions. 

Table 12. Driving Situations in Which One Would Never Talk on a Phone, by Sex and Age 

(% Respondents) (Multiple Responses) 

Sex Age Group 

Situations Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+ 

Bad weather 

(N) 

51.7 

(1,896) 

55.7 

(1,921) 

57.4 

(209) 

58.0 

(257) 

58.3 

(873) 

57.8 

(593) 

50.0 

(1,597) 

43.3 

(233) 

Bumper-to-bumper traffic 

(N) 

24.2 

(1,895) 

23.4 

(1,919) 

17.2 

(209) 

17.5 

(257) 

20.7 

(873) 

20.7 

(593) 

27.3 

(1,596) 

31.9 

(232) 

Fast-moving traffic 

(N) 

19.0 

(1,896) 

22.0 

(1,921) 

18.2 

(209) 

19.5 

(257) 

14.1 

(873) 

19.6 

(593) 

23.9 

(1,597) 

25.0 

(232) 

Merging with traffic 

(N) 

5.9 

(1,896) 

6.0 

(1,920) 

1.0 

(209) 

3.9 

(257) 

6.3 

(873) 

5.6 

(593) 

6.5 

(1,597) 

8.2 

(232) 

Marked construction zones 

(N) 

4.5 

(1,895) 

3.8 

(1,919) 

5.3 

(209) 

9.3 

(257) 

4.6 

(873) 

3.5 

(593) 

3.4 

(1,597) 

3.4 

(233) 

Driving in unfamiliar area/road 

(N) 

3.3 

(1,896) 

5.3 

(1,920) 

3.3 

(209) 

0.8 

(257) 

4.0 

(873) 

5.1 

(593) 

4.8 

(1,596) 

4.3 

(232) 

When I see a police officer 

(N) 

3.0 

(1,895) 

2.9 

(1,920) 

7.2 

(209) 

8.2 

(257) 

3.3 

(873) 

2.0 

(592) 

1.8 

(1,597) 

0.9 

(232) 

When moving 

(N) 

2.6 

(1,895) 

2.2 

(1,919) 

1.9 

(209) 

2.3 

(257) 

3.0 

(873) 

1.9 

(593) 

2.3 

(1,596) 

4.3 

(232) 

With a baby/child on board 

(N) 

1.2 

(1,895) 

1.8 

(1,919) 

1.9 

(209) 

3.1 

(257) 

2.3 

(873) 

2.4 

(593) 

0.6 

(1,596) 

0.9 

(232) 

Driving at nighttime 

(N) 

1.1 

(1,896) 

2.8 

(1,920) 

0.5 

(210) 

0.0 

(257) 

1.8 

(873) 

2.2 

(593) 

2.1 

(1,596) 

3.0 

(233) 

Bad weather is also reported by approximately 58% of respondents 18 to 44 and lower rates are 

reported by 45- to 64-year-olds (50%) and 65+ year olds (43%). About 2 in 10 considered other traffic 

conditions. Respondents in the older age groups (45 to 64, 65+) are more hesitant to talk and drive in 

bumper-to-bumper traffic (27% and 32%, respectively) than the younger respondents (range 17% to 

21%). The two oldest age groups are also more hesitant to talk and drive in fast-moving traffic (24% for 

45- to 64-year-olds, 25% for 65+) than respondents 18 to 44 (response rates ranged from 14% to 20%), 

although about 8 of 10 drivers did not express those concerns. The youngest (18 to 20) and oldest (65+) 

20
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

60% 

50% 

40% 

30% 

20% 

10% 

0% 

19% 

17% 

44% 

49% 

26% 

19% 

8% 

0.4% 

Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

groups are at opposite ends of the range for merging with traffic situations which was picked by only 1% 

of 18 to 20-year-olds compared to 8% of 65-and-older, with most drivers (90%) not expressing concern 

with this condition. Nine percent of 21- to 24-year-olds opted for marked construction zone, while other 

age groups ranged from 3% to 5%. Some respondents under 25 avoid talking on the phone while driving 

when they see a police officer (7% for 18 to 20, 8% for 21 to 24), although very few respondents older 

than 25 chose this response (range 1% to 3%) 

D. Sending Text Messages or E-Mails While Driving 

Frequency and Manner of Use 

When asked about sending text messages or e-mails while driving, 18% of respondents reported 

ever doing so and men and women showed a similar incidence (19% for men, 17% for women). 

Respondents 18 to 24 are much more likely to text while driving (44% to 49%) than older respondents. 

In fact, after 25, the incidence of texting while driving drops with every age group, from 26% in the 25-

to 34-year-olds to less than 1% in those 65 and older (Figure 7). 

Figure 7. Percent Sending Text Messages or E-Mails While Driving, by Sex and Age (% Ever) 

Among those who do text while driving, the majority of respondents continue to drive while 

texting. Still, there exist some differences across sexes and age groups (Table 13). Seventy percent of 

men continue to drive compared to 61% of women; men are also more likely than women to use voice 

commands (8% and 2%, respectively). Women, in turn, are more likely than men to pull over and send 

messages (18% versus 13%) and are also more likely than men to hand the phone to a passenger (18% of 

women do so, compared to 9% of men). The highest rate of continue to drive is seen in the youngest 

group with 73% of respondents 18 to 20 reporting doing so whereas response rates range from 62% to 

68% in other age groups. Respondents under 25 are less likely to pull over then send (6% to 9%) than 

those 25 and older (range 17 to 21%). Note that the 65+ age group was excluded from these follow-up 

questions due to the small number of respondents in that age group who do text while driving (n=1). 

21
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 13. Usual Manner of Sending a Text Message or E-Mail While Driving, by Sex and Age (% 

Respondents)
 

Sex Age Group 

Actions Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+* 

Continue to drive 70.2 61.4 73.2 67.7 64.3 67.9 62.3 n/a 

Pull over then send 12.9 18.4 6.2 9.4 17.9 17.4 20.8 n/a 

Hand phone to passenger 8.9 18.4 14.4 17.3 11.6 9.2 14.6 n/a 

Use a voice command 8.1 1.9 6.2 5.5 6.3 5.5 2.3 n/a 

(N) (372) (321) (97) (127) (224) (109) (130) (1) 

*sample is too small for respondents 65 and older, thus no follow-up data are available for this age group 

Reasons for Use 

Main reasons reported for sending a text message or e-mail while driving are how important 

the message/e-mail is (reported by 42% of all respondents), who I am messaging (21%), message is 

personal/social (14%), and message is work-related (12%). Table 14 shows comparisons between sexes 

and across age groups. The most striking difference between men and women is in work-related 

messages, reported by 17% of men but only by 6% of women. Women have slightly lower response 

rates in who I’m messaging (18% versus 23% for men), but higher rates for how important the message 

is (45% versus 40% for males). The 45 to 64-year-olds appear less concerned with how important the 

message is (35%) than their younger counterparts (range 39% to 47%) and who they are messaging (16% 

for 45 to 64, range from 19% to 24% for others). Conversely, 45- to 64-year-olds are more likely to send 

a message for work-related reasons (24%) than younger respondents (range 0% to 21%). 

22
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 14. Reasons One Is Likely to Send a Text Message or E-Mail While Driving, by Sex and Age (% 

Respondents) (Multiple Responses)
 

Sex Age Group 

Reasons Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+* 

How important the message is 39.6 45.4 47.4 38.9 46.7 41.1 34.6 n/a 

(N) (376) (328) (97) (126) (227) (112) (136) (0) 

Who I’m messaging 22.9 18.3 23.7 23.8 18.9 24.1 16.2 n/a 

(N) (375) (328) (97) (126) (227) (112) (136) (1) 

Message is work-related 16.8 6.1 0.0 5.6 9.3 20.5 23.5 n/a 

(N) (375) (329) (97) (126) (227) (112) (136) (1) 

Message is personal/social 13.6 13.7 11.3 19.0 11.0 15.2 12.5 n/a 

(N) (375) (329) (97) (126) (227) (112) (136) (1) 

Need directions/information 3.5 6.7 2.0 15.9 4.4 2.7 1.5 n/a 

(N) (375) (328) (98) (126) (227) (112) (137) (1) 

*sample is too small for respondents 65 and older, thus no follow-up data are available for this age group 

Reasons for Non-Use 

Respondents were asked about situations in which they would never send a text or e-mail 

message while driving. The top driving situations in which respondents would never send a message 

while driving include: bad weather (reported by 54% of all respondents), in bumper-to-bumper traffic 

(24%), and in fast-moving traffic (22%). Table 15 shows that the pattern of responses across sexes and 

across age groups. As found with placing cell phone calls, respondents reported relatively few traffic 

situations when they would not send a text or e-mail message. 

23
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 15. Driving Situations in Which One Would Never Send a Text or E-Mail Message, by Sex and 

Age (% Respondents) (Multiple Responses)
 

Sex Age Group 

Situations Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+* 

Bad weather 

(N) 

56.4 

(376) 

50.5 

(329) 

61.9 

(97) 

47.6 

(126) 

56.8 

(227) 

56.3 

(112) 

44.9 

(136) 

n/a 

(0) 

Bumper-to-bumper traffic 

(N) 

22.1 

(375) 

25.0 

(328) 

27.8 

(97) 

15.1 

(126) 

16.3 

(227) 

25.0 

(112) 

38.0 

(137) 

n/a 

(1) 

Fast-moving traffic 

(N) 

20.8 

(375) 

22.5 

(329) 

23.7 

(97) 

23.0 

(126) 

17.5 

(228) 

15.2 

(112) 

30.1 

(136) 

n/a 

(1) 

When moving 

(N) 

4.8 

(376) 

12.2 

(329) 

5.2 

(97) 

7.1 

(126) 

9.3 

(227) 

6.3 

(112) 

11.0 

(136) 

n/a 

(1) 

Merging with traffic 

(N) 

4.5 

(376) 

6.1 

(329) 

1.0 

(97) 

0.0 

(126) 

7.0 

(227) 

6.3 

(112) 

9.5 

(137) 

n/a 

(1) 

Marked construction zones 

(N) 

4.3 

(376) 

3.6 

(329) 

6.2 

(97) 

4.8 

(126) 

4.4 

(227) 

2.7 

(112) 

2.9 

(136) 

n/a 

(1) 

When I see a police officer 

(N) 

3.2 

(376) 

6.7 

(329) 

3.1 

(97) 

6.3 

(126) 

5.7 

(227) 

3.6 

(112) 

4.4 

(136) 

n/a 

(1) 

With other adult passengers 

(N) 

2.4 

(376) 

3.3 

(329) 

6.2 

(97) 

4.8 

(126) 

1.3 

(227) 

3.6 

(112) 

0.0 

(136) 

n/a 

(1) 

Driving in unfamiliar area/road 

(N) 

1.9 

(376) 

6.4 

(329) 

3.1 

(97) 

1.6 

(126) 

3.1 

(228) 

11.6 

(112) 

1.5 

(136) 

n/a 

(1) 

Driving at nighttime 

(N) 

1.1 

(375) 

4.0 

(329) 

1.0 

(98) 

1.6 

(126) 

3.5 

(227) 

4.5 

(112) 

1.5 

(136) 

n/a 

(1) 

With a baby/child on board 

(N) 

0.5 

(376) 

4.0 

(329) 

3.1 

(97) 

3.2 

(126) 

2.6 

(227) 

0.9 

(111) 

0.0 

(136) 

n/a 

(1) 

*sample is too small for respondents 65 and older, thus no follow-up data are available for this age group 

A slightly higher percentage of men (56%) than women (51%) report bad weather as a situation 

in which talking on the phone while driving should be avoided. A higher percentage of women than 

men report when moving (12% versus 5%, respectively), when I see a police officer (7% versus 3%), and 

driving in an unfamiliar area/road (6% for women, 2% for men). Bad weather is reported by 62% of 

respondents 18 to 20 compared to a range of 45 to 57% for older age groups. A higher percentage of 

45- to 64-year-olds choose bumper-to-bumper traffic (38% compared to a range of 15% to 28% for 

younger age groups) and fast-moving traffic (30% compared to a range of 15% to 24% for other age 

groups). Very few respondents pick driving in an unfamiliar area/road (12% for 35 to 44 compared to a 

range of 2 to 3% for other age groups). 

E. Perceived Effect of Phone Use on Driving 

Respondents who report ever talking on the phone/sending messages while driving were also 

asked how those behaviors impact their driving. When asked how their driving is different when talking 

on the phone, 54% of respondents say it makes no difference. Two out of 10 respondents (20%) 

selected drive slower. Table 16 shows the reported effects of talking on the phone while driving, by sex 

24
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and by age. Results indicate minimal differences between sexes. The majority and a larger number of 

respondents under 35 believe that talking on the phone has no impact on driving: 57 to 63% answer no 

difference compared to 51 to 52% of those 35 and older. Respondents under 25 and those 65 and older 

are more like to report drive slower (14% to 17%) than other age groups (range 20% to 23%). Other 

differences across ages are minimal. 

Table 16. How Talking on a Phone Affects Driving, by Sex and Age (% Respondents) (Multiple
 

Responses)
 

Sex Age Group 

Effects Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+ 

No difference 55.1 52.4 60.8 63.0 57.3 51.9 50.5 50.9 

(N) (1,895) (1,919) (209) (257) (873) (593) (1,596) (232) 

Driver slower 19.3 21.3 14.4 14.8 23.1 20.1 21.0 17.2 

(N) (1,895) (1,919) (209) (257) (873) (593) (1,597) (232) 

Drive faster 0.6 1.5 1.9 3.1 2.7 0.5 0.1 0.4 

(N) (1,895) (1,919) (209) (257) (874) (593) (1,596) (233) 

Change lanes less frequently 1.4 1.6 4.3 0.8 1.4 2.4 1.1 0.9 

(N) (1,896) (1,919) (209) (257) (873) (593) (1,596) (232) 

Drift out of lane/roadway 1.3 0.2 0.0 2.3 0.9 0.5 0.6 0.4 

(N) (1,896) (1,919) (209) (257) (873) (593) (1,596) (233) 

When asked about the impact of sending text messages or e-mails while driving, 25% of all 

respondents said it makes no difference. Thirty-one percent of respondents indicated drive slower as a 

consequence of texting/e-mailing while driving. Table 17 shows that a larger proportion of men than 

women reported drive slower as a consequence of texting (36% versus 25%, respectively). Other sex 

differences are minimal. A larger proportion of respondents 21 to 34 (range 27% to 30%) reported no 

difference compared to a range of 20 to 24% of other age groups. Twenty-seven percent of those 25 to 

34 reported they drive slower compared to 30 to 37% of those in other age groups. Some (7%) 

respondents 18 to 20 reported change lanes more frequently than older age groups (range 0% to 3%). 

Finally, respondents under 25 were more likely to pick drift out of lane/roadway (9% to 15%) than older 

respondents (range 3% to 5%). 

25
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 17. How Texting/E-Mailing Affects Driving, by Sex and Age (% Respondents) (Multiple
 

Responses)
 

Sex Age Group 

Effects Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+* 

No difference 24.2 25.8 19.6 27.0 29.5 19.6 24.1 n/a 

(N) (376) (329) (97) (126) (227) (112) (137) (0) 

Driver slower 36.4 25.3 37.1 30.2 26.9 31.3 34.6 n/a 

(N) (376) (328) (97) (126) (227) (112) (136) (0) 

Drift out of lane/roadway 8.2 5.8 9.3 15.1 5.3 2.7 4.4 n/a 

(N) (376) (329) (97) (126) (227) (112) (136) (1) 

Change lanes more frequently 2.4 2.1 7.2 0.8 2.6 0.9 0.0 n/a 

(N) (376) (329) (97) (126) (227) (112) (136) (1) 

*sample is too small for respondents 65 and older, thus no follow-up data are available for this age group 

F. Perceptions of Safety 

A set of questions was designed to assess perception of safety in a variety of situations. More 

than one fourth (26%) of respondents believe that driving becomes significantly more dangerous if a 

driver takes his/her eyes off the road for less than a second, 46% believe danger increases after 1 to 2 

seconds, 19% choose 3 to 4 seconds, 8% select 5 to 10 seconds, and the remainder (2%) believe that 

driving becomes much more dangerous if a driver kept his/her eyes off the road for 10 seconds or more. 

Table 18 shows minimal difference across sex and age. Across all ages about 7 out of 10 respondents 

identified that driving becomes more dangerous if they take their eyes off the forward roadway for 

more than 2 seconds or more at a time 

Table 18. Perceived Number of Seconds a Driver Can Take Eyes off the Road Before Driving Becomes 

Significantly More Dangerous, by Sex and Age (% Respondents) 

Sex Age Group 

Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+ 

Less than 1 second 26.1 26.4 31.9 26.5 26.0 23.6 25.5 29.4 

1-2 seconds 47.8 43.9 37.0 41.4 50.8 46.6 46.5 41.5 

3-4 seconds 17.8 19.3 16.3 23.3 16.0 21.1 19.0 16.4 

5-10 seconds 6.8 8.7 11.5 8.7 6.4 7.3 7.2 10.3 

10 seconds or more 1.5 1.8 3.3 0.0 0.8 1.4 1.9 2.4 

(N) (2,789) (2,905) (270) (343) (1,066) (764) (2,428) (708) 

Respondents were then presented with a series of situations and asked how safe they would 

feel as a passenger riding in this hypothetical vehicle. As passengers, almost all respondents reported 

that they considered a driver who was sending text messages or e-mails (86% men, 90% women) and 

reading e-mails or text messages (84% men, 88% women) as very unsafe and both increased with age 

from low 60s in the youngest age category to a high of 96% in the oldest age category. About one-third 

of respondents considered a driver who was manipulating a navigation system for driving directions 

26 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(33% men, 38% women) or talking on a cell phone and holding the phone (32% men 37% women) as 

very unsafe and both increased from low 20s for those 18 to 20 years old to 49-60% in the 65+ age 

group. Respondents were virtually unanimous in considering a driver who was watching a movie (96% 

men, 98% women), reading a book, newspaper, IPad, or Kindle (94% men, 96% women), or using a 

laptop computer (94% men, 96% women) while driving as very unsafe and these remained high across all 

age groups. About one-third (32% men, 37% women) considered drivers who were talking on a cell 

phone with a hands free device as very unsafe. Table 19 shows the list of situations and distribution of 

responses by sex and by age. 

Table 19. Perception of Safety as a Passenger When Driver Is Involved in Distracted Driving Behaviors, 

By Sex and Age (% Very Unsafe) (Multiple Responses) 

Sex Age Group 

Male Female 18-

20 

21-

24 

25-34 35-

44 

45-64 65+ 

Watching a movie 

(N) 

95.8 

(2,850) 

97.4 

(2,973) 

86.7 

(270) 

96.5 

(346) 

96.0 

(1,088) 

95.9 

(775) 

97.7 

(2,481) 

98.3 

(743) 

Using a laptop computer 

(N) 

93.9 

(2,849) 

96.5 

(2,972) 

88.9 

(270) 

93.0 

(345) 

94.1 

(1,087) 

93.9 

(775) 

96.5 

(2,482) 

96.8 

(743) 

Reading a book, newspaper, etc. 

(N) 

93.6 

(2,851) 

96.1 

(2,972) 

93.0 

(270) 

89.6 

(345) 

93.4 

(1,087) 

94.8 

(773) 

95.8 

(2,485) 

97.6 

(742) 

Sending e-mails/text messages 

(N) 

86.5 

(2,848) 

89.7 

(2,967) 

65.4 

(269) 

66.6 

(341) 

81.1 

(1,088) 

85.7 

(775) 

94.7 

(2,484) 

96.0 

(741) 

Reading e-mails/text messages 

(N) 

84.2 

(2,848) 

88.2 

(2,971) 

61.7 

(269) 

60.6 

(343) 

79.5 

(1,089) 

82.9 

(774) 

93.0 

(2,484) 

96.1 

(741) 

Doing personal grooming 

(N) 

76.1 

(2,844) 

67.7 

(2,965) 

60.8 

(268) 

68.1 

(345) 

63.8 

(1,087) 

68.1 

(770) 

74.3 

(2,478) 

85.0 

(741) 

Using a portable music player with 

headphones (N) 

57.9 

(2,839) 

66.8 

(2,954) 

63.9 

(269) 

55.0 

(342) 

62.9 

(1,087) 

63.6 

(774) 

63.1 

(2,470) 

61.0 

(734) 

Manipulating a navigation system 

(N) 

32.9 

(2,794) 

37.8 

(2,900) 

20.7 

(270) 

23.1 

(342) 

28.5 

(1,082) 

31.1 

(765) 

38.7 

(2,410) 

49.4 

(714) 

Talking on a cell phone (holding phone) 

(N) 

32.0 

(2,837) 

36.9 

(2,955) 

20.1 

(268) 

18.0 

(345) 

18.4 

(1,085) 

27.7 

(769) 

39.3 

(2,471) 

59.8 

(734) 

Interacting with children in the back seat 

(N) 

29.6 

(2,812) 

26.5 

(2,908) 

34.8 

(270) 

24.2 

(335) 

19.1 

(1,076) 

16.2 

(758) 

30.4 

(2,443) 

44.4 

(723) 

Eating or drinking 

(N) 

12.9 

(2,813) 

11.5 

(2,950) 

6.7 

(268) 

8.8 

(340) 

5.5 

(1,080) 

7.6 

(766) 

12.1 

(2,456) 

29.3 

(730) 

Talking on a cell phone (hands-free) 

(N) 

10.5 

(2,825) 

12.9 

(2,940) 

9.7 

(269) 

4.9 

(344) 

4.5 

(1079) 

6.4 

(770) 

12.9 

(2,463) 

25.9 

(722) 

Adjusting the car radio, tape, CD, etc. 

(N) 

8.7 

(2,828) 

11.4 

(2,954) 

6.3 

(270) 

3.5 

(344) 

3.9 

(1,078) 

5.5 

(770) 

11.5 

(2,466) 

23.5 

(736) 

Talking to other passengers 

(N) 

4.1 

(2,809) 

3.3 

(2,945) 

1.9 

(268) 

4.4 

(344) 

0.9 

(1,077) 

1.8 

(770) 

4.4 

(2,450) 

7.0 

(727) 

Singing along to a song on the radio 

(N) 

2.9 

(2,834) 

2.3 

(2,964) 

2.2 

(271) 

0.9 

(345) 

1.7 

(1,087) 

2.7 

(772) 

2.2 

(2,471) 

5.9 

(734) 

27
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

90% 

80% 71% 

70% 

60% 

50% 

40% 35% 

30% 

20% 

10% 

0% 

Male 

Talking on handheld Sending messages 

80% 

69% 73% 

56% 52% 

45% 

33% 29% 30% 33% 

Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 

84% 

44% 

45-64 

83% 

53%

65+ 

The main differences across sexes are in personal grooming (judged very unsafe by 76% of men 

and 68% of women), using a portable music player with headphones (men, 58%; women, 67%), and 

talking on a handheld cell phone (32% of men and 37% of women judge the behavior very unsafe). 

Respondents under 25 perceive sending and reading e-mails and text messages as less unsafe than older 

respondents. Whereas 65 to 67% of 18- to 24-year-olds perceive sending messages as very unsafe, 81 to 

96% of older respondents do so. Between 80 and 96% of respondents 25 and older perceive reading 

messages as very unsafe compared to 62% of 18- to 20-year-olds and 61% of 21- to 24-year-olds. 

The youngest (18 to 20) age group has the lowest response rate on watching a movie (judged 

very unsafe by 87% of 18 to 20-year-olds versus 96% to 98% of older respondents), using a laptop 

computer (89% for 18 to 20, 93% to 97% for others), and doing personal grooming (61% versus 64% to 

85% for older respondents). The oldest age group (65+) has the highest response rates on the majority 

of situations. Differences between the 65+ group and the younger respondents are especially notable in 

manipulating a navigation system (49% of 65+ versus 21% to 39% of others), talking on a cell phone 

(60% versus 18% to 39%, respectively), eating or drinking (29% versus 6% to 12%), talking on a cell 

phone (26% versus 5% to 13%), and adjusting the car radio, etc. (24% versus 4% to 12%). 

Forty percent of respondents reported they are very likely to say something if their driver is 

talking on a handheld cell phone while driving and almost doubles (76%) for a driver sending email or 

text messages while driving. Figure 8 shows that women and older respondents are more likely to say 

something than are men and younger respondents. 

Figure 8. As a Passenger, How Likely Are You to Say Something if 

Your Driver Is _________, by Sex and Age (% Very Likely)
 

28
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

G. Perceptions of Laws and Enforcement 

Overall, 38% of respondents believed their States have laws banning talking on handheld cell 

phones while driving and 50% believed their States have laws banning texting or e-mailing while driving. 

Table 19 shows the breakdown of responses by sex and by age. About half of respondents under 25 (49 

to 51%) believe a cell phone ban is in place compared to about one-third of older respondents (33 to 

37%). A similar pattern is seen with a texting ban with 61 to 64% of those under 25 believing that a ban 

is in place compared to 36 to 55% for respondents 25 and older. 

Table 20. Does Your State Have a Law Banning Talking on a Handheld Cell Phone/Texting While
 

Driving? By Sex and Age (% Respondents)
 

Sex Age Group 

Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+ 

Handheld Cell Phone 

Yes 38.8 36.5 48.9 51.3 37.1 33.1 36.4 35.3 

No 43.1 41.6 29.0 34.8 44.1 49.2 44.6 35.6 

Yes, probably 4.8 5.2 7.0 4.3 4.5 4.1 4.7 7.2 

Don’t know 13.3 16.7 15.1 9.6 14.2 13.6 14.3 21.9 

(N) (2,860) (2,981) (272) (345) (1,088) (777) (2,494) (745) 

Texting 

Yes 52.2 47.5 66.4 61.4 54.5 48.8 48.9 35.6 

No 20.8 20.2 15.1 15.7 19.8 23.0 20.8 22.6 

Yes, probably 7.2 7.7 5.5 7.2 6.8 6.2 8.1 8.6 

Don’t know 19.9 24.6 12.9 15.7 18.9 22.0 22.2 33.2 

(N) (2,857) (2,981) (271) (345) (1,086) (777) (2,491) (744) 

Those who believed a law is in place (i.e., answered yes or yes, probably) were further asked 

how likely one would be to get ticketed for such an infraction. Figure 9 shows the perceptions of 

enforcement severity for infractions related to texting, e-mailing, and talking on a handheld cell phone 

while driving. Overall, about 2 out of 10 respondents thought it likely they would be ticketed for using a 

cell phone or texting while driving. A larger proportion of women than men and those 21 to 24 believed 

it is very likely they would get a ticket for using a phone while driving. 

29
 
 

Likely).
 

Talking on handheld Sending messages 

35% 

29% 30% 27% 25% 26% 24% 23% 24% 25% 23% 22% 21% 21% 19% 20% 20% 20%

20% 

16% 

15% 

10% 

5% 

0% 

Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+ 

 

 

Handheld phone ban Texting ban 

100% 93% 

90%
 

95% 91% 87% 91% 95%

96% 97%

88%

80%
 

67% 70% 

60%
 

74% 

64% 

56% 60% 63%

75% 

50%
 

40%
 

30%
 

20%
 

10%
 

0%
 

Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+ 

Figure 9. Likelihood of Getting a Ticket for Using a Phone While Driving, by Sex and Age (% Very
 

Public support for both types of law was high, reaching 71% for a ban on handheld cell phone 

use and 94% for a ban on texting or e-mailing while driving. Support for a handheld cell phone ban was 

higher among women than men (74% versus 67%, respectively) and among respondents 45 and older; 

support for a texting ban is uniformly high for all ages, and even more so among those 35 and older 

(Figure 10). 

Figure 10. Percent Supporting a Ban on Phone Use While Driving, by Sex and Age (% Respondents). 

30
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those who support the bans were further asked what they thought the fine should be for cellphone-related infractions. The majority of respondents approved of fines of at least $100. Respondents 

also approved of higher fines for texting/e-mailing than for talking on a handheld cell phone while 

driving (see Table 21). Both sexes showed general agreement on fines for handheld phone use while 

driving, however women tended to favor higher fines than men for texting while driving infractions. 

Respondents 25 and older also tended to favor higher fines for texting and driving than younger 

respondents. 

Table 21. Proposed Fine for Talking on a Handheld Cell Phone/Sending E-Mail or Text Messages While 

Driving, by Sex and Age (% Respondents) 

Sex Age Group 

Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+ 

Handheld Cell Phone 

$0-$29 7.8 7.7 13.0 11.2 5.9 6.6 7.8 7.4 

$30-$49 1.9 1.2 2.9 0.0 2.0 1.5 1.6 1.1 

$50-$99 22.1 21.7 21.0 25.3 24.0 20.6 22.1 20.6 

$100-$199 34.8 35.2 18.8 28.7 39.5 38.8 34.7 34.5 

$200-$499 20.0 19.5 31.9 25.3 20.7 20.8 17.7 18.0 

$500+ 13.4 14.7 12.3 9.6 7.9 11.7 16.1 18.4 

(N) (1,558) (1,735) (138) (178) (555) (394) (1,495) (472) 

Texting 

$0-$29 4.6 4.7 13.5 4.3 3.1 4.7 4.4 4.9 

$30-$49 1.2 0.6 1.4 1.1 1.2 1.2 0.6 0.7 

$50-$99 17.7 14.8 25.0 28.3 17.8 15.8 14.3 11.8 

$100-$199 32.7 34.2 21.6 29.7 36.7 35.2 33.6 34.1 

$200-$499 24.3 20.9 21.2 19.2 26.3 22.6 21.5 22.2 

$500+ 19.4 24.9 17.3 17.4 14.8 20.6 25.7 26.3 

(N) (2,197) (2,276) (208) (276) (830) (602) (1,943) (536) 

31
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

H. Crash Experience 

Overall, 6% of respondents reported having been in a crash in the past year, 7% were in a nearcrash, and the majority (86%) reported no crash. Men have slightly more crash or near-crash incidences 

than women (15% versus 12%, respectively). Respondents 18 to 20 have the highest incidence of crash 

or near-crash experience (23%), whereas those 65+ have the lowest (8% - see Table 22 for details). 

Table 22. Crash or Near-Crash Involvement as a Driver in the Past Year, by Sex and 

Sex Age Group 

Male Female 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 65+ 

Near-crash 8.4 6.2 5.9 7.5 9.2 7.0 7.9 4.0 

Crash 6.5 6.2 17.0 9.2 6.0 6.6 5.7 3.8 

No crash 85.1 87.6 77.1 83.2 84.8 86.4 86.5 92.2 

(N) (2,854) (2,975) (271) (346) (1,087) (773) (2,490) (745) 

Of those who were in a crash or near-crash, 6% report using a phone at the time: 4% were 

talking, 1% were sending a text message or e-mail, and 1% were reading a text message or e-mail. Table 

23 shows that women report slightly higher phone involvement than men in crashes and near-crashes 

(7% versus 5%, respectively). Respondents 18 to 20 report the highest level of phone involvement 

(13%) at the time of a crash or near-crash, followed by those 25 to 34 (12%). 

Table 23. Cell Phone Use at the Time of the Last Crash or Near-Crash, by Sex and 

Sex Age Group 

Male Female 18- 21- 25- 35- 45- 65+ 

20 24 34 44 64 

Yes, talking 3.2 4.4 1.6 0.0 9.9 5.4 2.0 0.0 

Yes, reading a text/e-mail message 0.8 1.2 3.3 0.0 0.6 0.0 0.7 2.2 

Yes, sending a text/e-mail message 1.1 1.2 8.2 0.0 1.2 0.0 0.7 0.0 

No 95.0 93.3 86.9 100.0 88.2 94.6 96.7 97.8 

(N) (377) (341) (61) (48) (161) (92) (302) (46) 

32
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

V. Results by Income
 

Response patterns were explored for respondents in three income groups: those whose yearly 

earnings are under $50,000/year, those who earn between $50,000 and $99,999, and those with 

earnings of $100,000 and above. As was the case with the sex and age comparisons, the least popular 

survey items were omitted and all data are based on the weighted sample. 

A. Ownership of Electronic Devices 

The first notable difference between income groups is in ownership of electronic devices, with 

percentage of ownership increasing at each income level (Table 24). More than 90% of respondents in 

the upper two tiers own cell phones, and of those, at least 25% own smartphones. 

Table 24. Percent Owning Electronic Devices, by Income (Multiple Responses) 

INCOME 

Device <$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

Cell phone 

(N) 

81.7 

(1,409) 

91.3 

(1,697) 

95.0 

(1,232) 

Portable music player 

(N) 

37.3 

(1,408) 

46.1 

(1,702) 

59.9 

(1,232) 

Hands-free headset* 

(N) 

29.5 

(1,154) 

37.7 

(1,548) 

46.0 

(1,184) 

Portable navigation system 

(N) 

22.5 

(1,409) 

39.2 

(1,695) 

49.1 

(1,232) 

Laptop with Internet access 

(N) 

19.1 

(1,404) 

28.8 

(1,685) 

38.3 

(1,226) 

Smartphone 

(N) 

12.9 

(1,405) 

25.0 

(1,699) 

45.5 

(1,228) 

Built-in navigation system 

(N) 

6.5 

(1,409) 

11.6 

(1,699) 

21.8 

(1,230) 

Pager/beeper 

(N) 

1.5 

(1,407) 

2.5 

(1,701) 

3.5 

(1,232) 

*only asked to respondents who own cell phones 

B. Distracted Driving Behaviors 

Table 25 reports the frequency to which respondents engage in distracted driving behaviors and 

shows some moderate differences across income groups. Most respondents talk to other passengers 

regardless of income level. Compared to others, respondents in the $100k+ group are more likely to use 

a navigation system (57% versus 45 to 48%), make or accept phone calls (56% versus 28 to 44%), use a 

portable music player with speakers (38% versus 26 to 28%), read e-mails or text messages (15% versus 

8 to 9%), and send e-mails or text messages (10% versus 5%). Respondents in the <$50k group are more 

33
 
 

 

 

likely than others to use smartphones for driving directions (32% versus 26 to 28%), but less likely than 

others to adjust the car radio (57% versus 70 to78%), eat or drink (40% versus 51-52%), make or accept 

phone calls (28% versus 44 to 56%), and interact with children in the back seat (25% versus 31 to 33%). 

Table 25. Distracting Driving Behavior Frequency, by Income (% All, Most or Some Driving Trips) 

(Multiple Responses) 

INCOME 

Distracting Behavior <$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

Talk to other passengers 

(N) 

75.5 

(1,375) 

82.0 

(1,679) 

83.8 

(1,220) 

Adjust the car radio 

(N) 

56.5 

(1,377) 

69.8 

(1,686) 

78.4 

(1,221) 

Use navigation system* 

(N) 

44.6 

(378) 

47.8 

(768) 

57.0 

(744) 

Eat or drink 

(N) 

39.7 

(1,380) 

50.6 

(1,685) 

51.5 

(1,220) 

Use smartphone for driving directions* 

(N) 

31.8 

(178) 

27.8 

(424) 

25.6 

(555) 

Make/accept phone calls 

(N) 

28.1 

(1,378) 

43.8 

(1,682) 

56.1 

(1,219) 

Use portable music player with speakers* 

(N) 

25.9 

(513) 

28.2 

(774) 

38.4 

(732) 

Interact with children in back 

(N) 

24.7 

(1,378) 

30.5 

(1,682) 

32.7 

(1,219) 

Change CDs, DVDs, tapes 

(N) 

21.0 

(1,378) 

24.0 

(1,683) 

22.4 

(1,222) 

Read e-mail/text message 

(N) 

7.8 

(1,379) 

8.9 

(1,685) 

14.7 

(1,221) 

Send e-mail/text message 

(N) 

5.1 

(1,379) 

4.6 

(1,681) 

10.0 

(1,221) 

Do personal grooming 

(N) 

5.0 

(1,379) 

5.1 

(1,685) 

8.1 

(1,222) 

Use portable music player with headphones* 

(N) 

3.3 

(514) 

3.0 

(774) 

2.2 

(732) 

Read book, newspaper, etc. 

(N) 

0.7 

(1,379) 

0.7 

(1,684) 

0.5 

(1,221) 

*only asked to respondents who own the devices 

34
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C. Talking on the Phone While Driving 

Frequency and Manner of Use 

When asked how often they answer a phone call while driving, 84% of respondents in 

the$100k+ group reported doing so on all, most or some driving trips, compared to 82% of those in the 

$50k to $99.9k group and 76% for the under $50k group. Table 26 shows the preferred phone use while 

driving. Respondents with the highest income have a higher percentage (76%) of answer and continue to 

drive than those in the middle or lower income groups (63% and 61%, respectively) but have the lowest 

percentage of hold phone in hand at 39% (compared to 46% for the middle income and 51% for the 

lowest income group). Respondents in the highest income group have the highest percentage of built-in 

car systems, 16%, compared to 8% in the middle income group and 4% in the lowest income group. 

Looking at manner of making calls (Table 27), the only notable difference is in percent using voice 

dialing, reported by 18% of respondents in each of the mid- and high-income group compared to 11% in 

the lowest income group. 

Table 26. Usual Action While Receiving Calls While Driving, by Income (% Respondents) 

INCOME 

Actions <$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

Answer and drive 61.3 62.6 75.6 

Answer and call back 13.0 15.0 7.6 

Hand phone to passenger 10.5 8.8 8.7 

Answer and pull over 10.3 9.7 6.3 

Pull over then answer 4.9 3.9 1.8 

(N) (677) (1,187) (978) 

Hold phone in hand 51.1 45.7 38.5 

Cell phone speakers 20.7 18.3 16.5 

Hands-free earpiece 14.9 16.9 16.1 

Varies 5.5 8.6 10.5 

Built-in car system 4.4 8.2 15.8 

Hold phone between ear and shoulder 3.4 2.4 2.6 

(N) (685) (1,202) (989) 

35
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 27. Manner of Dialing While Driving, by Income (% Respondents) (Multiple Responses) 

INCOME 

Actions <$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

Speed dial or favorites 

(N) 

38.2 

(584) 

32.9 

(1,060) 

38.1 

(925) 

Scroll through saved numbers 

(N) 

18.5 

(584) 

21.2 

(1,058) 

19.1 

(926) 

Manual dialing 

(N) 

17.8 

(583) 

16.1 

(1,059) 

14.2 

(925) 

Varies 

(N) 

14.2 

(584) 

13.4 

(1,059) 

12.4 

(925) 

Voice dialing 

(N) 

11.3 

(583) 

17.8 

(1,059) 

17.6 

(925) 

The main reasons for answering a call while driving are shown in Table 28 and show only 

minimal differences across income groups. The most popular reason for answering a call while driving is 

who is calling. This answer choice does not vary greatly among the three groups (range 28 to 31%). A 

higher percentage of respondents in the lowest income group report how important the call is as a likely 

reason to answer a call while driving (28%) than respondents in the middle (22%) and highest (21%) 

income groups. Percentage of respondents opting for call is personal or social is lower in the <$50k 

income group (11%) than the middle (15%) or high income (15%) groups. 

Table 28. Reasons One Is Likely to Answer a Call While Driving, by Income (% Respondents) 

(Multiple Responses) 

INCOME 

Reasons <$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

Who is calling 

(N) 

30.5 

(688) 

28.3 

(1,203) 

30.3 

(991) 

How important I think the call is 

(N) 

28.2 

(688) 

22.3 

(1,204) 

21.3 

(991) 

I answer all calls 

(N) 

17.2 

(688) 

13.8 

(1,204) 

17.2 

(991) 

Call is work-related 

(N) 

13.2 

(687) 

15.6 

(1,204) 

16.2 

(992) 

Call is personal/social 

(N) 

11.3 

(688) 

15.0 

(1,204) 

14.7 

(991) 

Call is for someone I know 

(N) 

6.0 

(687) 

6.5 

(1,203) 

6.7 

(991) 

Call is routine/expected 

(N) 

3.6 

(688) 

3.2 

(1,204) 

3.2 

(991) 

36
 
 

 

 

 

 

Reasons for making a call while driving are shown in Table 29. The most frequent answer is how 

important the call is and shows no difference across income groups (33%). Nineteen percent of 

respondents in the middle and highest income groups are likely to make calls while driving if the call is 

personal or social compared to 15% for the lowest income group. Respondents in the lowest income 

group are more likely than others to place a call if they need directions/information (14%, compared to 

11% for middle income and 10% for highest income groups). The two highest income groups are more 

likely to place calls for work-related reasons compared to the lowest income group (21% for highest 

income group, 18% for middle income, and 14% for lowest income). 

Table 29. Reasons One Is Likely to Make a Call While Driving, by Income (% Respondents) 

(Multiple Responses) 

Income 

Reasons <$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

How important I think the call is 

(N) 

33.3 

(585) 

33.2 

(1,059) 

32.6 

(926) 

Call is personal/social 

(N) 

14.6 

(583) 

18.8 

(1,058) 

19.1 

(925) 

Need directions/information 

(N) 

14.4 

(584) 

10.9 

(1,059) 

9.7 

(925) 

Call is work-related 

(N) 

13.9 

(583) 

17.9 

(1,059) 

20.6 

(925) 

Who I am calling 

(N) 

12.1 

(585) 

9.9 

(1,059) 

10.7 

(926) 

Report a traffic crash/emergency 

(N) 

5.0 

(584) 

3.3 

(1,059) 

2.2 

(925) 

Report a medical emergency 

(N) 

3.1 

(584) 

2.5 

(1,059) 

1.9 

(925) 

Boredom 

(N) 

2.1 

(584) 

2.9 

(1,059) 

4.8 

(925) 

37
 
 

 

 

Reasons for Nonuse 

Respondents were asked about situations in which they would never talk on the phone while 

driving. Bad weather is the most frequent choice and shows little difference across income groups, 

ranging from 51 to 54% (Table 30). Overall, the pattern of responses shows little variation between 

groups and few instances when respondents would not use the cell phone while driving. 

Table 30. Driving Situation in Which One Would Never Talk on a Phone, by Income (% Respondents) 

(Multiple Responses) 

Income 

Situations <$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

Bad weather 

(N) 

52.0 

(696) 

54.3 

(1,220) 

51.4 

(1,001) 

Bumper-to-bumper traffic 

(N) 

25.0 

(697) 

24.5 

(1,219) 

24.8 

(1,001) 

Fast-moving traffic 

(N) 

21.1 

(696) 

20.5 

(1,221) 

21.5 

(1,001) 

Merging with traffic 

(N) 

5.5 

(697) 

6.3 

(1,219) 

6.6 

(1,001) 

Marked construction zones 

(N) 

5.3 

(697) 

4.3 

(1,219) 

5.0 

(1,001) 

When I see a police officer 

(N) 

3.7 

(697) 

1.8 

(1,219) 

4.3 

(1,001) 

Driving in unfamiliar area/road 

(N) 

3.6 

(697) 

4.3 

(1,219) 

4.4 

(1,001) 

Driving at nighttime 

(N) 

2.2 

(697) 

2.1 

(1,219) 

1.3 

(1,001) 

With a baby/child on board 

(N) 

2.0 

(697) 

1.2 

(1,219) 

1.4 

(1,001) 

When moving 

(N) 

1.7 

(697) 

3.0 

(1,220) 

1.2 

(1,001) 

38
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

D. Sending Text Messages or E-Mails While Driving 

Frequency and Manner of Use 

Respondents in the middle income group have the lowest incidence of sending text messages or 

e-mails while driving with 15% reporting ever doing so. This figure compares to 18% in the lowest 

income group and 22% in the highest income group. Of those who do send text messages or e-mails 

while driving, about two-thirds, between 61 and 67% (lowest and highest income, respectively), 

continue to drive while completing the message, between 14 and 17% pull over to a safe location to 

send the message, and between 12 and 16% hand the phone to a passenger to do the messaging. Very 

few respondents, between 3 and 9% (highest and middle income, respectively), use a voice command 

(Table 31). 

Table 31. Manner of Sending a Text Message or E-Mail While Driving, by Income (% Respondents) 

Income 

Actions <$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

Continue to drive 61.4 64.3 66.5 

Pull over then send 16.5 14.6 14.2 

Hand phone to passenger 15.0 11.9 16.1 

Use a voice command 7.1 9.2 3.2 

(N) (127) (185) (218) 

Reasons for Use 

Reasons for texting while driving differed between income groups. The main reason reported 

for sending a text message or e-mail while driving is how important the message or e-mail is, reported 

more often by the lowest (46%) and middle (46%) income group than by the highest (41%) income 

group (Table 32). Who I’m messaging is reported by 17% of respondents in the middle income group 

compared to 21% for the highest income group and 25% for the lowest income group. Message is 

personal/social shows the opposite pattern, being reported more often by respondents in the middle 

income group (18%) than either the lowest income (9%) or the highest income (10%) groups. 

Respondents in the highest income group report message is work-related more often (15%) than those 

in the middle income group (12%) and the lowest income group (6%). Few middle income respondents 

report need directions or information (2%) than lowest income (6%) or highest income (9%) 

respondents. 

39
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 32. Reasons One Is Likely to Send a Text Message or E-Mail While Driving, by Income (% 

Respondents) (Multiple Responses)
 

Income 

Reasons <$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

How important the message is 

(N) 

46.2 

(130) 

45.7 

(188) 

40.5 

(222) 

Who I’m messaging 

(N) 

24.6 

(130) 

16.5 

(188) 

20.7 

(222) 

Message is personal/social 

(N) 

9.2 

(130) 

17.6 

(188) 

9.5 

(222) 

Message is work-related 

(N) 

6.2 

(130) 

11.7 

(188) 

15.3 

(222) 

Need directions/information 

(N) 

6.2 

(130) 

1.6 

(187) 

9.0 

(222) 

Reasons for Non-Use 

Responses with regard to situations in which one would never send a text or e-mail message 

while driving differ across income groups (Table 33). Bad weather is the most frequent answer for all 

groups, yet it is reported by a lower percentage of respondents in the highest income group (44%) than 

in the lowest (49%) or middle (64%) income groups. Very few respondents mentioned traffic situations. 

Respondents in the highest income group showed lower response rates to fast-moving traffic (17%) 

than those in the middle (30%) or lowest (25%) income groups. A higher percentage of respondents in 

the lowest income group (12%) picked when I see a police officer than is the case in the middle (5%) or 

highest (4%) income groups. A lesser percentage (5%) of middle income respondents reported when 

moving than either lowest or highest income respondents (each at 11%). Middle (9%) and highest (6%) 

income respondents opted for merging with traffic to a greater extent than did the lowest income 

respondents (2%). 

40
 
Table 33. Driving Situations in Which One Would Never SendaText or E-Mail Message 

While Driving, by Income (% Respondents) (Multiple Responses)
 

Income 

Situations <$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

Bad weather 

(N) 

49.2 

(130) 

64.4 

(188) 

44.1 

(222) 

Fast-moving traffic 

(N) 

24.8 

(129) 

30.3 

(188) 

17.1 

(222) 

Bumper-to-bumper traffic 

(N) 

23.1 

(130) 

21.4 

(187) 

23.3 

(223) 

When I see a police officer 

(N) 

11.5 

(130) 

4.8 

(188) 

4.0 

(223) 

When moving 

(N) 

10.8 

(130) 

4.8 

(188) 

10.8 

(222) 

Winding/curving road 

(N) 

6.9 

(130) 

3.2 

(188) 

0.4 

(223) 

Driving in unfamiliar area/road 

(N) 

5.4 

(130) 

3.2 

(188) 

4.1 

(222) 

Marked construction zones 

(N) 

4.6 

(130) 

4.3 

(188) 

5.4 

(222) 

With a baby/child on board 

(N) 

3.8 

(130) 

1.6 

(187) 

1.8 

(222) 

Merging with traffic 

(N) 

2.3 

(130) 

8.5 

(188) 

6.3 

(222) 

Driving at nighttime 

(N) 

2.3 

(129) 

2.1 

(188) 

3.2 

(222) 

With other adult passengers 

(N) 

1.6 

(129) 

5.9 

(188) 

0.0 

(222) 

41
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

E. Perceived Effect of Phone Use on Driving 

About half of respondents in all three income groups (51% to 52%) believed that talking on the 

phone makes no difference on their driving performance. None of the response options show much 

variation across income groups, as can be seen in Table 34. 

Table 34. How Talking on the Phone Affects Driving, by Income (% Respondents) (Multiple Responses) 

Income 

Effects <$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

No difference 

(N) 

51.4 

(696) 

52.2 

(1,219) 

52.0 

(1,001) 

Driver slower 

(N) 

19.4 

(696) 

21.5 

(1,219) 

20.8 

(1,001) 

Avoid changing lanes altogether 

(N) 

1.7 

(697) 

0.5 

(1,219) 

1.5 

(1,001) 

Drive faster 

(N) 

0.9 

(697) 

0.3 

(1,219) 

1.6 

(1,001) 

Change lanes less frequently 

(N) 

0.9 

(697) 

0.7 

(1,219) 

1.8 

(1,001) 

In contrast to talking on the phone, asking about the impact of sending text messages or e-mails 

while driving does show some differences between income groups (Table 35). More than a third of 

lowest income respondents (35%) report texting makes no difference on driving. This is a higher 

percentage than that shown by respondents in the middle income group (21%) and the highest income 

group (12%). More respondents in the lowest income group picked drive slower (23%) than either the 

middle or highest income groups (33% and 37%, respectively). 

Table 35. How Sending Text or E-Mail Messages Affects Driving, By Income (% Respondents) (Multiple 

Responses) 

Income 

Reasons <$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

No difference 

(N) 

34.6 

(130) 

21.3 

(188) 

12.1 

(223) 

Drive slower 

(N) 

23.1 

(130) 

33.0 

(188) 

36.8 

(223) 

Drift out of lane/roadway 

(N) 

3.8 

(130) 

6.4 

(188) 

7.2 

(223) 

Look in mirror less 

(N) 

2.3 

(130) 

0.5 

(188) 

0.0 

(222) 

Change lanes more frequently 

(N) 

0.0 

(130) 

1.6 

(188) 

2.3 

(222) 

42
 
 

 

 

F. Perceptions of Safety 

Respondents were asked to judge how safe they would feel as a passenger if their driver was 

involved in a variety of situations. There was uniform agreement in the five situations judged as most 

unsafe including sending and reading e-mails and text messages, but less dangerous situations showed 

variation between income groups (Table 36). Manipulating a navigation system was judged very unsafe 

by a large proportion of lowest (38%) income group compared to the middle (32%) and highest (30%) 

income groups. Respondents in the lowest income group were more likely than others to view talking 

on a handheld cell phone (44%, versus 30% for middle income and 23% for highest income groups) 

Table 36. Perception of Safety as a Passenger When Driver Is Involved in Distracted Driving Behaviors, 

By Income (% Very Unsafe) (Multiple Responses) 

Income 

If driver is... <$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

Watching a movie 

(N) 

97.2 

(1,406) 

96.5 

(1,698) 

96.5 

(1,231) 

Using a laptop computer 

(N) 

95.7 

(1,407) 

95.1 

(1,696) 

96.2 

(1,233) 

Reading a book, newspaper, etc. 

(N) 

95.4 

(1,406) 

95.3 

(1,696) 

94.9 

(1,233) 

Sending e-mails/text messages 

(N) 

89.6 

(1,401) 

87.3 

(1,697) 

88.1 

(1,232) 

Reading e-mails/text messages 

(N) 

87.6 

(1,405) 

84.8 

(1,697) 

85.7 

(1,232) 

Doing personal grooming 

(N) 

74.4 

(1,403) 

71.2 

(1,692) 

66.6 

(1,230) 

Using a portable music player with headphones 

(N) 

61.1 

(1,399) 

59.6 

(1,691) 

60.9 

(1,229) 

Manipulating a navigation system 

(N) 

38.0 

(1,369) 

31.9 

(1,675) 

29.9 

(1,210) 

Talking on a cell phone (holding phone) 

(n) 

44.4 

(1,402) 

30.1 

(1,690) 

22.6 

(1,227) 

Interacting with children in the back seat 

(N) 

32.5 

(1,380) 

25.0 

(1,677) 

20.3 

(1,221) 

Eating or drinking 

(N) 

18.0 

(1,394) 

8.3 

(1,679) 

6.9 

(1,220) 

Talking on a cell phone (hands-free) 

(N) 

15.0 

(1,392) 

9.5 

(1,674) 

6.2 

(1,229) 

Adjusting the car radio, tape, CD, etc. 

(N) 

14.0 

(1,396) 

7.2 

(1,686) 

3.3 

(1,224) 

Talking to other passengers 

(N) 

5.5 

(1,384) 

2.6 

(1,684) 

2.1 

(1,220) 

Singing along to a song on the radio 

(N) 

3.7 

(1,395) 

1.2 

(1,694) 

0.9 

(1,230) 

43
 
 

 

 

 

 

<$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

50% 46% 

45% 

40% 36%34% 

35% 

28% 30% 26% 

25% 21% 18%19% 

20% 16% 

15% 

10% 

5% 

0% 

Very likely Somewhat likely Somewhat unlikely 

21% 

18% 

17% 

Very unlikely 

Figure 12. Likelihood of Saying Something if Driver Is Sending Text Message or E-Mails While Driving, 

by Income 

<$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

90% 

77%77% 80% 75% 

70% 

60% 

50% 

40% 

30% 

20% 

13% 14% 14% 

7% 10% 5% 5% 4% 4% 5% 

0% 

Very likely Somewhat likely Somewhat unlikely Very unlikely 

and manipulating a navigation system (38%, 32%, and 30%) as very unsafe. It is interesting to note that 

the lowest income respondents rated every single action as more unsafe than other groups. Response 

patterns indicate that respondents in the lowest income group are also the ones most likely to say 

something to their driver if he/she was talking on a handheld phone while driving (Figure 11). One-third 

to one half of passengers would say something to the driver. There were minimal differences between 

groups with regard to saying something if one’s driver was sending text messages while driving (Figure 

12). About 3 out of 4 passengers would say something to the driver in those circumstances regardless 

of income level. 

Figure 11. Likelihood of Saying Something if Driver Is Talking on a Handheld Cell Phone While Driving, 

By Income 

44
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

G. Perceptions of Laws and Enforcement 

Forty-one percent of highest income respondents believed their State has a law banning talking 

on a handheld cell phone while driving. Overall, 70% correctly identified the law in their own State, with 

97% correct in States with a ban and 62% correct in States without a ban. Thirty-five percent of middle 

income respondents believed their State has a handheld cell phone law. Sixty-four percent correctly 

identified the law (93% correct in States with a law, 58% in States without a law). Lastly, 38% of 

respondents in the lowest income group believed their State has a law. Overall, 53% of respondents 

were correct in identifying their State’s law (91% in States with a ban, 44% in States without a ban). 

Fifty-three percent of respondents in the highest income group believed their State has a law 

banning texting while driving. Fifty-six percent correctly identified the law in their State (65% correct in 

States with a ban, 39% correct in States without a ban). Forty-nine percent of middle income 

respondents believed their State has a texting ban in effect. Fifty-two percent correctly identified the 

law (64% correct in States with a ban, 35% correct in States without a ban). Forty-eight percent of 

respondents in the lowest income group believed their State a law banning texting while driving. Fiftyone percent correctly identified their State’s law, 64% were correct in States with a ban and 36% were 

correct in States without a ban. 

Those who believed a law was in place were further asked how likely one is to get ticketed for 

such an infraction. Table 37 shows the perceptions of enforcement severity for infractions related to 

texting/e-mailing and talking on a handheld cell phone while driving. Overall, less than one-quarter of 

respondents thought it likely they would be ticketed. Twenty-five percent of respondents in the lowest 

income group believed that getting ticketed for phone infractions is very likely. This percentage is higher 

than that reported in the middle income group (18%) and the highest income group (16%). Similar 

results are seen with regard to a texting while driving infraction: 27% of the lowest income group, 21% 

of the middle income group, and 18% of the highest income group believed the chance of getting a 

ticket is very likely. 

Table 37. Perceived Likelihood of Getting a Ticket for Talking or Sending a Message While Driving,
 

By Income
 

Income 

Talking on handheld <$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

Very likely 24.8 18.1 15.9 

Somewhat likely 27.3 26.7 28.9 

Somewhat unlikely 25.5 33.2 26.4 

Very unlikely 22.3 22.0 28.9 

(N) (596) (641) (523) 

Sending a message 

Very likely 27.3 21.0 18.2 

Somewhat likely 28.6 25.5 23.7 

Somewhat unlikely 22.6 28.4 28.3 

Very unlikely 21.5 25.2 29.8 

(N) (752) (930) (718) 

45
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Public support for handheld cell phone law is highest in the lowest income group (79%), 

followed by the middle income group (69%) and is lowest in the highest income group (66%). Support 

for a ban on texting or e-mailing while driving is similar across groups and reaches 94% in the lowest 

income group, 96% in the middle income group, and 95% in the highest income group. 

Those who support the bans were further asked what they thought the fine should be for cellphone-related infractions. Table 38 shows that the response pattern does not differ greatly between 

income groups with all groups favoring fines of $100 or more; almost one-quarter favor fines in the $200 

to $499 range. 

46
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 38. Proposed Fine for Talking on a Handheld Cell Phone or Sending E-Mail or Text Messages
 

While Driving, by Income (% Respondents)
 

Income 

<$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

Handheld Cell Phone 

$0-$29 9.8 7.4 5.1 

$30-$49 1.9 1.2 1.9 

$50-$99 21.2 23.4 22.7 

$100-$199 34.0 36.2 32.7 

$200-$499 18.0 19.0 22.8 

$500+ 15.0 12.8 14.8 

(N) (884) (964) (724) 

Texting 

$0-$29 5.3 3.9 3.1 

$30-$49 1.3 0.7 0.6 

$50-$99 17.6 16.7 14.7 

$100-$199 34.7 34.3 33.8 

$200-$499 21.3 23.3 23.4 

$500+ 20.0 21.2 24.4 

(N) (1,082) (1,375) (1,018) 

H. Crash Experience 

Respondents were asked if they had been in a crash in the past year. Those in the highest 

income group report a slightly higher crash or near-crash incidence than those in the middle income 

group (16% versus 14%, respectively). Respondents in the middle income group fall in between at 15% 

(Table 39). Most respondents did not report crash or near-crash involvement. 

Table 39. Crash or Near-Crash Involvement as a Driver in the Past Year, by Income 

Income 

<$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

Near-crash 8.7 8.3 7.3 

Crash 6.2 5.4 8.5 

No crash 85.1 86.3 84.2 

(N) (1,409) (1,695) (1,232) 

Of those who were in a crash or near-crash, between 5% (high income) and 7% (middle income) 

admit to using a phone at the time of the crash or near crash (Table 40). The largest difference between 

income groups is in the percentage who were talking on a phone at the time of the crash or near-crash 

47 
 

 

 

 

 

with the highest income group having the lowest percentage at 1% compared to 4% for the lowest 

income group and 6% for the middle income group. 

Table 40. Cell Phone Use at the Time of the Last Crash or Near-Crash, by Income 

Income 

<$50,000 $50K-$99,999 $100,000+ 

Yes, talking 4.4 6.0 1.1 

Yes, reading a text/e-mail message 1.1 0.0 1.7 

Yes, sending a text/e-mail message 0.0 0.9 2.2 

No 94.5 93.0 95.0 

(N) (181) (215) (180) 

48
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VI. Conclusions
 

Telephone interviews were conducted with more than 6,000 drivers across the United States. 

Approximately 90% of drivers 18 to 64 own cell phones, with rates being noticeably lower after 64 (78% 

of those 65+ own a cell phone). Cell phone ownership is also very high (82%) even for those in the lower 

income tier for those earning $50, 000 or less a year. Cell phone use is widespread and drivers take their 

devices into their vehicles when they drive. 

More than three-quarters (77%) of respondents indicated they are willing to answer a call while 

driving on at least some driving trips. Not only do they answer, but two-thirds (66%) keep driving and 

close to half (45%) hold the phone in their hand when they do. Men and respondents 21 to 34 are 

especially likely to answer a phone while driving, as are those with yearly income of $50,000 or more. 

More than half (54%) of those who do talk on the phone while driving believe that doing so makes no 

difference on their driving. While more than 60% of respondents under 25 believe talking while driving 

makes no difference on driving, there were only minimal differences across gender and income. 

Sending text messages or e-mailing while driving, while less frequent than talking on a cell 

phone while driving, was still quite high. Overall, 18% of respondents reported ever sending a text while 

driving, and 66% of those said they continued to drive while texting. Although sex differences were 

minimal, results indicated that close to half of drivers under 25 (44 to 49%) have ever engaged in texting 

while driving. Rates of texting while driving were also higher among those with incomes of 

$100,000/year and above than those in the lower two income tiers. A quarter of respondents believed 

texting while driving makes no difference on driving. Respondents 21 to 34 reported the highest 

percentage of no difference (27 to 30%), as did respondents with a yearly income of $100,000 or more 

(35%). 

Overall, only about two-thirds of respondents reported that they could take their eyes off the 

road for 2 seconds or less before driving becomes significantly more dangerous and young drivers were 

more likely to indicate that they could take their eyes off the road for 5 to 10 seconds or more. 

While most drivers said they are willing to answer a call and many will send a text while driving, 

almost all of these same respondents (90%) reported that they would feel very unsafe as a passenger if 

their driver was sending or receiving text messages while driving. Female respondents and those over 

25 reported feeling very unsafe more than did males or those under 25. A little over one-third of 

respondents said they would feel very unsafe if their driver was using a handheld cell phone while 

driving. Here again, males and those under 35 were less concerned than females or older passengers. 

Respondents in the lowest income tier reported they would feel very unsafe at a much higher rate (44%) 

than those in the upper two tiers. Three out of 4 passengers would likely say something to their driver 

if they were texting, regardless of income level, sex or age, while only 3 or 4 out of 10 would be likely to 

say something to a driver who was talking on a hand held cell phone. 

Overall, the results of the first national phone survey on distracted driving suggest that the 

driving population underestimates the danger of using a cell phone or texting while driving and a 

49
 
 

 

 

 

 

significant proportion do not hesitate to talk on a cell phone or text while driving. Most do not believe 

that their own driving is affected when they use these electronic devices, but they feel very unsafe when 

riding as a passenger with another driver who is talking on a handheld phone or texting. The majority of 

respondents support laws banning cell phone use (talking and texting) while driving and most are in 

favor of fines of $100 or more for those violating those laws. A sizeable proportion support fines in the 

range of $200 to $499. 

50
 
 

VII. References
 

GHSA. (2011, October). State Cell Phone Use and Texting While Driving Laws. Retrieved from 

www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html 

FHWA. (2010). Highway Statistics 2008 Licensed Drivers by Age (Data File). Retrieved from 

www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2008/dl22.cfm 

51
 
52
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix A. Survey Instrument 

DISTRACTED DRIVING TELEPHONE SURVEY 

State: ______________ County: ______________ Metro Status: ______________
 

Date: ______________ CATI ID: ______________
 

Interviewer: ____________________________ Telephone Number: ________________
 

Time Start: ______________ Time End: ______________ Total Time: ______
 

INTRODUCTION – SCREENING QUESTIONS (SQ) – ALL RESPONDENTS
 

SQ.1) Hello, I’m __________________ calling for the U.S. Department of Transportation. If I
 

have reached you on your cell phone, are you in a safe place to talk right now?
 

1) Landline [GO TO SQ.2]
 

2) Cell phone/safe to talk [GO TO SQ.2]
 

3) Not safe to talk [SAY WILL CALL BACK LATER AND END CALL
 

IMMEDIATELY]
 

99) (VOL) Refused [TERMINATE THE INTERVIEW] 

SQ.2) Hello, I'm __________________ calling for the U.S. Department of Transportation. We
 

are conducting a national study of Americans' driving habits and attitudes.
 

This collection of information is VOLUNTARY and will be used for statistical purposes only so 

that we may develop and evaluate programs designed to reduce the number of traffic-related
 

injuries and deaths. Your participation is anonymous, and we will not collect any personal
 

information that would allow anyone to identify you. The interview takes about 20 minutes to 

complete.
 

Could we begin now?
 

1) Yes
 

2) No.... [ARRANGE CALLBACK]
 

3) No, callback on different number [ARRANGE CALLBACK]
 

99) (VOL) Refused [TERMINATE THE INTERVIEW]
 

SQ.3) Are you 18 years old or older? 

1) Yes
 

2) No.... [TERMINATE THE INTERVIEW]
 

99) (VOL) Refused [TERMINATE THE INTERVIEW]
 

A-1
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SQ.3a.) In which of these age categories do you fall...
 

1) 18 to 34
 

2) 35 and older
 

99) (VOL) Refused [TERMINATE THE INTERVIEW]
 

SQ.4) Is the phone number we called a personal phone, or one used exclusively for business?
 

1) Personal
 

2) Mixed use
 

3) Exclusively business [TERMINATE THE INTERVIEW]
 

99) (VOL) Refused [TERMINATE THE INTERVIEW]
 

SQ.5) Is this phone used exclusively by you, or does someone else share this phone number
 

with you?
 

1) My phone only
 

2) Shared use [SKIP TO SQ.6]
 

99) (VOL) Refused [TERMINATE THE INTERVIEW]
 

SQ5a) Are you a licensed Driver? 

1) Yes [SKIP TO SQ.8] 

2) No [TERMINATE THE INTERVIEW] 

SQ.6) In order to select just one person to interview, could I speak to the licensed driver that
 

uses this phone, age 18 or older, who will have the next birthday?
 

1) Respondent is the person [SKIP TO SQ.8]
 

2) Other respondent comes to phone [CONTINUE]
 

3) Respondent is not available [ARRANGE CALLBACK]
 

4) No licensed driver at this phone/address [TERMINATE THE INTERVIEW]
 

99) (VOL) Refused [TERMINATE THE INTERVIEW]
 

A-2
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SQ.7) Hello, I’m __________________ calling for the U.S. Department of Transportation. We
 

are conducting a national study of Americans’ driving habits and attitudes.
 

This collection of information is VOLUNTARY and will be used for statistical purposes only so 

that we may develop and evaluate programs designed to reduce the number of traffic-related
 

injuries and deaths. Public reporting burden is estimated to average 20 minutes per response, 

including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and 

maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Your
 

participation is anonymous, and we will not collect any personal information that would allow
 

anyone to identify you. Please note that a federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a
 

person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to 

comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction 

Act unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control number. The
 

OMB control number for this collection is 2127-0665.
 

Could we begin now?
 

1) Yes
 

2) No.... [ARRANGE CALLBACK]
 

3) No, call back on different number [ARRANGE CALLBACK]
 

99) (VOL) Refused [TERMINATE THE INTERVIEW]
 

SQ.8) Do you USE a cell phone and a landline phone for your personal telephone service, or do 

you exclusively use a (INSERT ANSWER FROM SQ1 - cell/landline) phone? 

1) Use landline only (CLASSIFY AS A LANDLINE ONLY RESPONDENT) [SKIP TO 

SQ.11]
 

2) Use cell phone only (CLASSIFY AS A CELL PHONE ONLY RESPONDENT) [SKIP 

TO SQ.10]
 

3) Use both landline phone and cell phone (ASK SQ.9) 

99) (VOL) Refused (ASK SQ.9) 

SQ.9) Which best describes your USE of your personal telephones. You (READ CHOICES – 

ROTATE BLOCKS 1 & 2) 

BLOCK 1 

1) Use your Landline phone more than your Cell Phone (CLASSIFY AS 

DUAL/LANDLINE DOMINANT) 

2) Use your Cell Phone more than your Landline (CLASSIFY AS DUAL/CELL PHONE 

DOMINANT) 

3) Use your Landline and Cell Phone about equally (CLASSIFY AS DUAL/EQUAL) 

99) (VOL) Refused [TERMINATE THE INTERVIEW] 

BLOCK 2 

A-3
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) Use your Cell Phone more than your Landline (CLASSIFY AS DUAL/CELL PHONE 

DOMINANT)
 

1) Use your Landline phone more than your Cell Phone (CLASSIFY AS 

DUAL/LANDLINE DOMINANT)
 

3) Use your Landline and Cell Phone about equally (CLASSIFY AS DUAL/EQUAL)
 

99) (VOL) Refused [TERMINATE THE INTERVIEW]
 

SQ.11) Can I please have the zip code of the town where you currently live? We will not use it
 

to identify you personally; we just need to know what part of the country you are in.
 

[RECORD VALUE] 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

GENERAL DRIVING INFORMATION
 

Q.1) How often do you drive a motor vehicle, regardless of whether it is for work or for 

personal use? Almost every day, a few days a week, a few days a month, a few days a year, or 

do you never drive? 

[DO NOT READ LIST] 

1) Almost every day (or more) 

2) Few days a week 

3) Few days a month 

4) Few days a year 

5) Never [SKIP TO Q.2] 

6) (VOL) Other (SPECIFY) 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

A-4
 
 

 

 

 

 

Q.1.A) Is the vehicle you drive most often a car, van, motorcycle, sport utility vehicle, pickup 

truck, or other type of truck? 

[NOTE: IF RESPONDENT DRIVES MORE THAN ONE VEHICLE OFTEN, ASK:] 

“What kind of vehicle did you LAST drive?” 

1) Car 

2) Van or minivan 

3) Motorcycle 

4) Pickup truck 

5) Sport Utility Vehicle 

6) Other truck (SPECIFY) 

7) (VOL) Other (SPECIFY) 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

PERCEPTIONS OF ENFORCEMENT
 

Q.2) When you pass a driver stopped by the police IN THE DAYTIME, what do you think the 

stop was most likely for? 

[DO NOT READ LIST - MULTIPLE RECORD] 

1) Speeding 

2) Seat Belt Violation 

3) Drunk Driving 

4) Reckless Driving 

5) Cell phone use 

6) Texting or sending emails while driving 

7) Registration Violation 

8) Other (SPECIFY) 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

A-5
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q.2.A) When you pass a driver stopped by the police IN THE NIGHTTIME, what do you think 

the stop was for? 

[DO NOT READ LIST - MULTIPLE RECORD] 

1) Speeding 

2) Seat Belt Violation 

3) Drunk Driving 

4) Reckless Driving 

5) Cell phone use 

6) Texting or sending emails while driving 

7) Registration Violation 

8) Other (SPECIFY) 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

OWNERSHIP OF MOBILE ELECTRONICS
 

Q.3) Do you CURRENTLY own any of the following devices? 

[READ A-H AND CODE FOR EACH:] 

1) Yes 

2) No 

3) Mixed/Shared Use 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

Q.3.A) A cell phone [Code 1 (Yes) if mentions any cell phone including a smartphone] 

Q.3.B) A ‘smartphone’ such as a Droid, iPhone, or Blackberry 

Q.3.C) A pager or beeper 

Q.3.D) A portable music player, such as a CD player, iPod, or Zune 

Q.3.E) A portable navigation system, such as TomTom or Garmin 

Q.3.F) A navigation system built into the vehicle, such as OnStar or Sync 

Q.3.G) A laptop computer with cellular internet access, such as with Sprint or Verizon 

Q.3.H) [ASK IF 3A or 3B = Yes] A hands-free headset for your cell phone, such as one 

that plugs into the phone or works wirelessly 

FREQUENCY OF DISTRACTED DRIVING
 

A-6
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[IF Q.1 = 5 (Never drive) SKIP TO Q.17] 

Q.5) I’m going to read a list of activities, and for each I’d like you to tell me how often YOU do 

each while driving? For each, please tell me if you do the activity [READ 1-5]? How often do 

you... 

[READ A-O AND CODE FOR EACH:] 

1) On all driving trips 

2) On most driving trips 

3) On some driving trips 

4) Rarely 

5) Never 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

Q.5.A)	 Talk to other passengers in the vehicle 

Q.5.B)	 Eat or drink 

Q.5.C)	 Make or accept phone calls 

Q.5.D)	 Read, such as a book, newspaper, iPad or Kindle 

Q.5.E)	 Read emails or text messages 

Q.5.F)	 Send text messages or emails 

Q.5.G)	 Interact with children in the back seat 

Q.5.H)	 Do personal grooming, such as put on make-up, shave, or look at yourself in the 

mirror 

Q.5.I)	 Adjust the car radio 

Q.5.J)	 Change CDs, DVDs, or tapes 

Q.5.L)	 [ASK IF Q.3.D = 1] Use a portable music player with headphones on 

Q.5.M)	 ASK IF Q.3.D = 1] Use a portable music player with external speakers or with 

the car’s speakers 

Q.5.N)	 [ASK If Q.3.B = 1] Use your Smartphone for driving directions 

Q.5.O)	 [ASK IF Q.3.E OR Q.3.F = 1] Use a navigation system for driving directions 

NOTE: IF Q.5.C OR Q.5.E OR Q.5.F = 1 CONTINUE WITH Q.8 

IF Q.5.C AND Q.5.E AND Q.5.F = 2 SKIP TO Q.17 

NOTE:	 IF Q5C(01,02,03,04) OR Q5E(01,02,03,04) OR Q5F(01,02,03,04) 

IF Q5C(05,98,99) AND Q5E(05,98,99) AND Q5F(05,98,99) SKIP TO Q17 

ANSWERING AND MAKING CELL PHONE CALLS WHILE DRIVING
 

A-7
 
 

 

 

 

 

Q.8.A) When you RECEIVE a phone call while you are driving, how often do you ANSWER 

the call? 

[READ LIST] 

1) On all driving trips 

2) On most driving trips 

3) On some driving trips 

4) Rarely 

5) Never.... [SKIP TO Q9A] 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

Q.8.B) What are the reasons you are more likely to ANSWER a call while driving? 

[DO NOT READ LIST - MULTIPLE RECORD] 

1) I answer all calls 

2) Who is calling 

3) How important I think the call is 

4) Availability of the phone 

5) Call is work-related 

6) Call is personal or social 

7) Call is routine or expected 

8) Call is unexpected 

9) Call is from someone I know 

10) Call is from a number I don’t recognize 

11) Non-stressful traffic conditions 

12) Good weather conditions 

13) Traveling at a low speed 

14) Time of day 

15) Boredom 

16) In need of directions or other information 

17) Personal safety 

18) If state law allows 

19) No police officers in sight 

20) Tired (talking keeps me awake) 

21) Other (SPECIFY) 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

A-8
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Q.8.C) When you answer a call while driving, do you USUALLY... 

[READ LIST] 

1) Answer and continue to drive while completing the conversation 

2) Answer and promptly pull over to a safe location 

3) Answer and inform the caller you will call back later 

4) Pull over to a safe location first and then speak to the caller 

5) Hand the phone to a passenger to answer if you have one 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

Q.8.D) Which of the following do you USUALLY do when you answer a call while driving? 

[READ LIST] 

1) Hold the phone in your hand 

2) Squeeze the phone between your ear and shoulder 

3) Use a hands-free earpiece 

4) Use a built-in-car system (OnStar, Sync, or built-in Bluetooth) 

5) Use the cell phone’s speakerphone feature 

6) Varies 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

Q.9.A) When you are driving, how often are you willing to MAKE a phone call? 

[READ LIST] 

1) On all driving trips 

2) On most driving trips 

3) On some driving trips 

4) Rarely 

5) Never [SKIP TO Q.10] 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

A-9
 
 

 

 

Q.9.B) What are the reasons you are more likely to MAKE a call while driving? 

[DO NOT READ LIST - MULTIPLE RECORD] 

1) Who I’m calling 

2) How important/urgent I think the call is 

3) Availability of the phone 

4) Work-related 

5) Personal or social 

6) Non-stressful traffic conditions 

7) Good weather conditions 

8) Traveling at a low speed 

9) Time of day 

10) Boredom 

11) If I need of directions or other information 

12) I think it’s safe to call 

13) Personal Safety 

14) If state law permits 

15) No police officers in sight 

16) Report a traffic crash/emergency 

17) Report a medical emergency 

18) Tired (talking keeps me awake) 

19) Other (SPECIFY) 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

Q.9.C) Which of the following ways do you usually MAKE a call while driving? 

[READ LIST – MULTIPLE RECORD] 

1) Manual dialing 

2) Voice-dial (speaking a name or phone number) 

3) Speed dial or favorites 

4) Scroll through saved numbers and select 

5) Varies 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

A-10
 
 

 

 

 

Q.10) [IF Q.8.A = 5 (Never) AND Q 9.A = 5 (Never) SKIP TO Q.12] How, if at all, would you 

say your driving is different when you are TALKING on the phone? 

[DO NOT READ, MULTIPLE RECORD] 

1) No difference (EXCLUSIVE ANSWER) 

2) Drive slower 

3) Drive faster 

4) Change lanes more frequently 

5) Change lanes less frequently 

6) Avoid changing lanes altogether 

7) Apply the brakes suddenly 

8) Drift out of the lane or roadway 

9) Use turn signal less regularly 

10) Use turn signal more regularly 

11) Increase distance from lead vehicle 

12) Follow lead vehicle more closely 

13) Look in your rear or side view mirrors more frequently 

14) Look in your rear or side view mirrors less frequently 

15) Other [SPECIFY] 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

A-11
 
 

 

 

 

 

Q.11) Is there any driving situation in which you would NEVER TALK on a phone while 

driving? 

[DO NOT READ, MULTIPLE RECORD:] 

1) When moving (not at stop signs or stop lights) 

2) On long trips 

3) On short trips 

4) Fast-moving traffic (freeway) 

5) Bumper-to-bumper traffic 

6) On an empty roadway 

7) Merging with traffic 

8) Bad weather 

9) Driving a familiar route 

10) Driving in unfamiliar area/roads 

11) Driving at nighttime 

12) Marked school zones 

13) Residential streets 

14) Parking lots 

15) With other adult passengers in the car 

16) With a baby or child on board 

17) Winding/curving roads 

18) Marked construction zones 

19) When I see a police officer 

20) Other [SPECIFY] 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

TEXTING OR E-MAILING WHILE DRIVING
 

Q.12) Do you ever SEND text messages or e-mails when you are driving? 

1) Yes 

2) No [SKIP TO Q.17] 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

A-12
 
 

 

 

Q.14) If you SEND a text message or e-mail while driving, do you USUALLY... 

[READ LIST] 

1) Continue to drive while completing the message 

2) Pull over to a safe location to send the message 

3) Hand the phone to a passenger to do your messaging 

4) Use a Voice Command feature (speech dictation) 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

Q.14.A) What makes it more likely you will SEND a text message or e-mail while driving? 

[DO NOT READ LIST - MULTIPLE RECORD] 

1) Who I’m messaging 

2) How important I think the message is 

3) Work-related 

4) Personal or social 

5) Non-stressful traffic conditions 

6) Good weather conditions 

7) Traveling at a low speed 

8) Time of day 

9) Boredom 

10) In need of directions or other information 

11) I think it’s safe to call 

12) Personal Safety 

13) If state law permits 

14) If no police officers are in sight 

15) Report a traffic crash/emergency 

16) Report a medical emergency 

17) Tired (texting keeps me awake) 

18) Other (SPECIFY) 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

A-13
 
 

 

 

Q.15) How would you say your driving is different when you are SENDING TEXT OR EMAIL MESSAGES? 

[DO NOT READ, MULTIPLE RECORD] 

1) No difference 

2) Drive slower 

3) Drive faster 

4) Change lanes more frequently 

5) Change lanes less frequently 

6) Avoid changing lanes altogether 

7) Apply the brakes suddenly 

8) Drift out of the lane or roadway 

9) Use turn signal less regularly 

10) Use turn signal more regularly 

11) Increase distance from lead vehicle 

12) Follow lead vehicle more closely 

13) Look in your rear or side view mirrors more frequently 

14) Look in your rear or side view mirrors less frequently 

15) Other [SPECIFY] 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

A-14
 
 

 

Q.16) Is there any driving situation in which you would NEVER SEND a text or e-mail message 

while driving? 

[DO NOT READ, MULTIPLE RECORD:] 

1) When moving (not at stop signs or stop lights) 

2) On long trips 

3) On short trips 

4) Fast-moving traffic (freeway) 

5) Bumper-to-bumper traffic 

6) On an empty roadway 

7) Merging with traffic 

8) Bad weather 

9) Driving a familiar route 

10) Driving in unfamiliar area/roads 

11) Driving at nighttime 

12) Marked school zones 

13) Residential streets 

14) Parking lots 

15) With other adult passengers in the car 

16) With a baby or child on board 

17) Winding/curving roads 

18) Marked construction zones 

19) When I see a police officer 

20) Other [SPECIFY] 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

A-15
 
 

 

PERCEPTIONS ABOUT DANGER OF DISTRACTIONS
 

Q.17) How many seconds do you believe a driver can take his or her eyes off the road before 

driving becomes significantly more dangerous? 

[DO NOT READ LIST - CODE VALUE] 

1) Less than 1 second 

2) 1-2 seconds 

3) 3-4 seconds 

4) 5-10 seconds 

5) 10 seconds or more 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

A-16
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q.18) Now I’m going to read a list of things people sometimes do while driving. Tell me how 

safe you would feel if you were a passenger riding in a car while your driver was doing the 

following. 

[READ A-W AND RECORD FOR EACH:] 

1) Very unsafe 

2) Somewhat unsafe 

3) A little less safe 

4) Safe, no problem, would not pay any more attention 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

Q.18.A) Talking to other passengers in the vehicle 

Q.18.D) Eating or drinking 

Q.18.E) Talking on a cell phone while holding the phone 

Q.18.F) Talking on a cell phone with a hands-free device 

Q.18.I) Reading, such as a book, newspaper, or an iPad or Kindle 

Q.18.J) Reading e-mails or text messages 

Q.18.K) Sending text messages or e-mails 

Q.18.M) Interacting with children in the back seat 

Q.18.O) Doing personal grooming, such as putting on make-up, shaving, looking in the 

mirror 

Q.18.P) Adjusting the car radio, tape, or CD player 

Q.18.R) Singing along to a song on the radio 

Q.18.S) Using a laptop computer 

Q.18.T) Using a portable music player with headphones on 

Q.18.V) Manipulating a navigation system for driving directions 

Q.18.W) Watching a movie 

Q31. BX) How likely are you to do or say something to your driver if they’re talking on a 

handheld cell phone while driving? 

[READ LIST] 

1) Very likely
 

2) Somewhat likely
 

3) Somewhat unlikely [SKIP TO Q.31.CX]
 

4) Very unlikely [SKIP TO Q.31.CX]
 

98) (VOL) Don’t know [SKIP TO Q.31.CX]
 

99) (VOL) Refused [SKIP TO Q.31.CX]
 

A-17
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q31. BOE) What would you say?
 

(SPECIFY)
 

PROBE: Anything Else?
 

Q31. CX) How likely are you to do or say something to your driver if they’re talking on a
 

handheld cell phone while driving?
 

[READ LIST] 

1) Very likely 

2) Somewhat likely 

3) Somewhat unlikely [SKIP TO Q.19] 

4) Very unlikely [SKIP TO Q.19] 

98) (VOL) Don’t know [SKIP TO Q.19] 

99) (VOL) Refused [SKIP TO Q.19] 

Q31. COE) What would you say?
 

(SPECIFY)
 

PROBE: Anything Else?
 

[IF Q.1 = 5 (Never drive) SKIP TO Q.20]
 

CHANGES IN DISTRACTED DRIVING
 

Q.19) In the past 30 days, has your frequency of making and receiving phone calls while 

driving increased, decreased, or stayed the same? 

1) Increased [SKIP TO Q.19.B] 

2) Decreased 

3) Stayed the same [SKIP TO Q.19.B] 

4) New Driver [SKIP TO Q.19.B] 

5) Never used a phone while driving [SKIP TO Q.20] 

98) (VOL) Don’t know [SKIP TO Q.19.B] 

99) (VOL) Refused [SKIP TO Q.19.B] 

A-18
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q.19.A) What caused your frequency of making and receiving phone calls while driving to 

decrease? 

[DO NOT READ LIST - MULTIPLE RECORD] 

1) Increased awareness of safety 

2) Law that bans cell phone use 

3) Don’t want to get a ticket 

4) Was in a crash 

5) Influence/pressure from others 

6) More long distance driving 

7) The weather 

9) Driving faster 

10) Other (SPECIFY) 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

Q.19.B) [ASK IF Q.12 = 1] In the past 30 days, has the frequency with which you send and 

receive text messages or e-mails while driving increased, decreased, or stayed the same? 

1) Increased [SKIP TO Q.20]
 

2) Decreased
 

3) Stayed the same [SKIP TO Q.20]
 

4) New driver [SKIP TO Q.20]
 

5) Never used a phone while driving [SKIP TO Q.20]
 

98) (VOL) Don’t know [SKIP TO Q.20]
 

99) (VOL) Refused [SKIP TO Q.20]
 

Q.19.C) [ASK IF Q.12 = 1] What caused the frequency with which you send and receive text
 

messages or e-mails while driving to decrease?
 

[DO NOT READ LIST - MULTIPLE RECORD]
 

1) Increased awareness of safety 

2) Law that bans texting/e-mailing 

3) Don’t want to get a ticket 

4) Was in a crash 

5) Influence/pressure from others 

6) More long distance driving 

7) The weather 

9) Driving faster 

10) Other (SPECIFY) 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

A-19
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DISTRACTED DRIVING LAWS
 

Q.20) Does (RESP’S STATE) have a law banning talking on a handheld cell phone while 

driving? 

1) Yes 

3) Yes, probably 

2) No [SKIP TO Q.20.D] 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know [SKIP TO Q.20.D] 

99) (VOL) Refused [SKIP TO Q.20.D] 

Q.20.B) Assume that over the next six months someone frequently TALKS on a handheld cell 

phone while driving. How likely do you think that person would be to receive a ticket for talking 

on a cell phone while driving? 

[READ LIST] 

1) Very likely
 

2) Somewhat likely
 

3) Somewhat unlikely
 

4) Very unlikely
 

98) (VOL) Don’t know
 

99) (VOL) Refused
 

Q.20.D) Does (RESP’S STATE) have a law banning TEXTING OR E-MAILING while
 

driving?
 

1) Yes
 

3) Yes, probably
 

2) No [SKIP TO Q.21]
 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know [SKIP TO Q.21]
 

99) (VOL) Refuse [SKIP TO Q.21]
 

A-20
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q.20.F) Assume that over the next six months someone frequently sends text messages or emails while driving. How likely do you think that person would be to receive a ticket for sending 

text messages or e-mails while driving? 

[READ LIST] 

1) Very likely
 

2) Somewhat likely
 

3) Somewhat unlikely
 

4) Very unlikely
 

98) (VOL) Don’t know
 

99) (VOL) Refused
 

Q.21) Do you support a State law banning talking on a handheld cell phone while driving?
 

1) Yes
 

2) No.... [SKIP TO Q.21.B]
 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know
 

99) (VOL) Refused [SKIP TO Q.21.B]
 

Q.21.A) What do you think the fine should be for talking on a handheld cell phone while 

driving? 

[RECORD VALUE] 

0) No fine
 

997) $997 or more
 

998) (VOL) Don’t know
 

999) (VOL) Refused
 

Q.21.B) Do you support a State law banning texting or e-mailing while driving?
 

1) Yes
 

2) No [SKIP TO Q.22]
 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know
 

99) (VOL) Refused [SKIP TO Q.22]
 

A-21
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q.21.C) What do you think the fine should be for sending text messages or e-mails while 

driving? 

[RECORD VALUE] 

0) No fine 

997) $997 or more 

998) (VOL) Don’t know 

999) (VOL) Refused 

PROGRAM AWARENESS
 

Q.22) Yes or No -- in the past 30 days, have you seen or heard of any special effort by police to 

ticket drivers in your community for using handheld cell phones while driving?
 

1) Yes
 

2) No [SKIP TO Q.22.B]
 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know [SKIP TO Q.22.B]
 

99) (VOL) Refused [SKIP TO Q.22.B]
 

Q.22.A) Where did you see or hear about that special effort? 

[DO NOT READ LIST - MULTIPLE RECORD] 

1) TV - advertisement/public service announcement 

2) TV - news 

3) Radio - advertisement/public service announcement 

4) Radio - news 

5) Online news/blog 

6) Internet ad/banner 

7) Social networking website (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter) 

8) Online video (YouTube, Google Video) 

9) Friend/relative 

10) Newspaper/magazine 

11) Witnessed enforcement activity 

12) Billboard/signs 

13) Educational program 

14) I’m a police officer/judge 

15) Direct contact by police officer 

16) Internet game 

17) Other (SPECIFY) 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

A-22
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q.22.B) Were you personally stopped by police for using a handheld cell phone while driving in 

the past 30 days? 

1) Yes 

2) No [SKIP TO Q.23] 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know [SKIP TO Q.23] 

99) (VOL) Refused [SKIP TO Q.23] 

Q.22.C) Did you receive a ticket or warning? 

1) Yes - ticket for talking on a cell phone 

2) Yes - warning for talking on a cell phone 

3) Yes - ticket for texting or sending an e-mail 

4) Yes - warning for texting or sending an e-mail 

5) No 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

OTHER EDUCATIONAL MESSAGES
 

Q.23) Now, I would like to ask you a few questions about educational or other types of 

activities. In the past 30 days, have you seen or heard any messages that encourage people not to 

talk on phones or send electronic messages while driving? This could be public service 

announcements on TV, messages on the radio, signs on the road, news stories, or something else. 

1) Yes 

2) No [SKIP TO Q.24] 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know [SKIP TO Q.24] 

99) (VOL) Refused [SKIP TO Q.24] 

A-23
 
 

 

 

 

Q.23.A) Where did you see or hear these messages? 

[DO NOT READ LIST - MULTIPLE RECORD] 

1) TV - advertisement/public service announcement 

2) TV – news 

3) TV show storyline 

4) Radio - advertisement/public service announcement 

5) Radio - news 

6) Online news/blog 

7) Internet ad/banner 

8) Social networking website (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter) 

9) Online video (YouTube, Google Video) 

10) Friend/relative 

11) Newspaper/magazine 

12) Personal observation/on the road 

13) Billboard/signs 

14) Educational program 

15) I’m a police officer/judge 

16) Direct contact by police officer 

17) Internet game 

18) Other (SPECIFY) 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

A-24
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q.24) Do you recall hearing or seeing the following slogans in the past 30 days? 

[READ A-P AND RECORD FOR EACH:] 

1) Yes 

2) No 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

Q.24.A) Friends don’t let friends drive drunk 

Q.24.B) Click it or Ticket 

Q.24.C) On the Road, Off the Phone 

Q.24.D) Drive by the Rules, Keep the Privilege 

Q.24.E) u txt i tikit 

Q.24.F) Phone in One Hand, Ticket in the Other 

Q.24.G) Just Drive 

Q.24.H) You Drink and Drive. You Lose. 

Q.24.I) No Phone Zone 

Q.24.J) Get the keys 

Q.24.K) Over the Limit under Arrest 

Q.24.L) Four Steps for Kids 

Q.24.M) Put it Down 

Q.24.N) If they’re under FOUR FEET, NINE INCHES, they need a booster seat 

Q.24.O) Do you recall seeing a video ad in which there are three motorists: an older male 

backing out of his driveway; a mom driving to meet someone with her daughter in the back seat; 

and a teenager in the car with a friend. The man and mom are talking on the phone, and the 

teenage girl has just received a text. 

They all take their eyes off the road for just a couple of seconds. Suddenly, each of the three 

vehicles become involved in a serious crash and the ad ends with images of police enforcing cell 

phone laws and a shot of the “Phone in One Hand. Ticket in the Other.” logo.. 

Q.24.P) Do you recall hearing a radio ad in which the voice of a man talking to someone on his 

cell phone as he drives describes how stupid another driver is for talking on his cell phone since 

everyone knows it causes crashes. He also questions why someone would do this when law 

enforcement has been mobilized to ticket distracted drivers. Suddenly, there’s a sound effect of 

tires squealing, and then the sound of the male character breathing like he has been frightened. 

The voice of his wife tells him that maybe he should put his phone down. The spot closes with a 

reminder that cops are cracking down on drivers who talk or text while driving and the “Phone in 

One Hand. Ticket in the Other.” tagline. 

EXPOSURE TO DISTRACTED DRIVING CRASHES AND STORIES
 

A-25
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q.25) Have you been involved in a crash or near-crash as a driver in the past year?
 

1) Yes - near-crash
 

2) Yes - crash
 

3) No [SKIP TO Q.27]
 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know [SKIP TO Q.27]
 

99) (VOL) Refused.... [SKIP TO Q.27]
 

Q.25.A) [ASK IF Q.3.A = 1] Were you using a cell phone at the time of the LAST [crash/nearcrash] you were in? 

1) Yes - talking 

2) Yes - reading electronic text 

3) Yes - sending text message or e-mail 

4) No 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

PERCEPTIONS OF AND RESPONSES TO OTHER DISTRACTED DRIVERS
 

Q.27) What percentage of drivers do you believe at least occasionally TALK on a cell phone 

while driving? 

[RECORD VALUE] 

998) (VOL) Don’t know 

999) (VOL) Refused 

Q.27.A) What percentage of drivers do you believe at least occasionally SEND TEXT 

MESSAGES OR E-MAILS on a cell phone while driving? 

[RECORD VALUE] 

998) (VOL) Don’t know 

999) (VOL) Refused 

INTERVENING AS A PASSENGER
 

A-26
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Q.31) When riding as a passenger, how comfortable would you feel if your driver was 

TALKING on a cell phone while driving? 

[READ LIST] 

1) Very comfortable – No problem 

2) Aware but not uncomfortable 

3) Somewhat uncomfortable 

4) Uncomfortable 

5) Very uncomfortable 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

Q.31.A) When riding as a passenger, how comfortable would you feel if your driver was 

SENDING TEXT MESSAGES OR E-MAILS while driving? 

[READ LIST] 

1) Very comfortable – No problem 

2) Aware but not uncomfortable 

3) Somewhat uncomfortable 

4) Uncomfortable 

5) Very uncomfortable 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

Q.31.B) How likely are you to do or say something to your driver if they’re TALKING on a 

handheld cell phone while driving? 

[READ LIST] 

1) Very likely 

2) Somewhat likely 

3) Somewhat unlikely 

4) Very unlikely 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

A-27
 
 

 

 

Q.31.C) How likely are you to do or say something to your driver if they’re SENDING TEXT 

MESSAGES OR E-MAILS while driving? 

[READ LIST] 

1) Very likely 

2) Somewhat likely 

3) Somewhat unlikely 

4) Very unlikely 

5) Never would intervene 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS
 

[SAY:] Now, I need to ask you some basic information about you and your household. Again, 

this information is confidential and will not be used to identify you personally. 

Q.32) What is your age? 

[RECORD VALUE] 

998) (VOL) Don’t know 

999) (VOL) Refused 

Q.32.A) Including yourself, how many persons, age 16 or older, are living in your household at 

least half of the time or consider it their primary residence? 

[RECORD VALUE] 

998) (VOL) Don’t know 

999) (VOL) Refused 

A-28
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q.32.B) How many children age 15 or younger are living in your household at least half of the 

time or consider it their primary residence? 

[RECORD VALUE] 

998) (VOL) Don’t know 

999) (VOL) Refused 

Q.32.C) Do you consider yourself to be Hispanic or Latino? 

1) Yes 

2) No 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

Q.32.D) Which of the following racial categories describe you? You may select more than one. 

[READ LIST - MULTIPLE RECORD] 

1) American Indian or Alaska Native 

2) Asian 

3) Black or African American 

4) Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 

5) White 

99) (VOL) Refused 

Q.32.E) What is the highest level of education you have completed? 

[READ LIST - MULTIPLE RECORD] 

1) Some high school 

2) High school / GED 

3) Some college 

4) College 

5) Graduate or professional school 

98) (VOL) Don’t know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

A-29
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q.32.F) How many landline telephone numbers do you have in your household? 

[RECORD VALUE] 

997) 997 or more 

998) (VOL) Don’t know 

999) (VOL) Refused 

Q.32.G) How many separate cell phone numbers do you have in your household? 

[RECORD VALUE] 

997) 997 or more 

998) (VOL) Don’t know 

999) (VOL) Refused 

Q.32.H) What is your approximate household income? 

[READ LIST] 

1) Less than $10,000 

2) $10,000 to $14,999 

3) $15,000 to $24,999 

4) $25,000 to $49,999 

5) $50,000 to $99,999 

6) $100,000 to $149,999 

7) $150,000 to $199,999 

8) $200,000 or more 

98) (VOL) Don’t Know 

99) (VOL) Refused 

Q.32.I FROM OBSERVATION, ENTER SEX OF RESPONDENT 

1) Male 

2) Female 

98) Cannot be determined 

[READ:] That completes the survey. Thank you very much for your time and cooperation. If 

you would like information about traffic safety, please visit www.nhtsa.gov. 

A-30
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix B. Sampling Considerations 

National Survey of Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behavior 

The general procedure in developing a population-based sample for the National Survey of Distracted 

Driving Attitudes and Behaviors (NSDDAB) involves four steps. The first step involves a populationbased sample allocation in proportion to the 10 NHTSA Regions according to the most recent Census 

Bureau estimates. NHTSA Regions are divided as follows: 

Table B-1. NHTSA Regions 

Region States 

Region 1-New England Region Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New 

Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont 

Region 2- Eastern Region New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania 

Region 3- Mid Atlantic Region Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, 

West Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky 

Region 4- Southeast Region Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, 

Tennessee 

Region 5- Great Lakes Region Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, 

Wisconsin 

Region 6- South Central Region Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, 

Mississippi 

Region 7- Central Region Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska. Arkansas 

Region 8- Rocky Mountain Region Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, 

Wyoming, Nevada 

Region 9- Western Region Arizona, California, Hawaii 

Region 10- Northwest Region Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana 

B-1
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second step of the sampling process involves assigning telephone hundred banks with one or more 

residential directory-listed telephone numbers to the NHTSA regions. The third step in the sampling 

procedure is drawing a random sample of telephone hundred banks and append a two-digit random 

number to each of the sampled hundred banks. This step produces a list-assisted random digit dialing 

(RDD) sample of telephone numbers. The fourth step requires the screening of these numbers to 

identify households with eligible drivers and the selection of one eligible driver within each eligible 

household so that the household sample will yield a probability sample of the eligible driver population 

in the U.S. This allows valid generalizations to be made to the entire eligible population, within specified 

limits of expected sampling variability. 

Based on the Census Bureau estimates of the non-institutionalized civilian population, we estimate that 

about 33% of drivers are 16 to 34 years old. However, estimates from strictly RDD landline surveys for 

this age group are well below 33%. In the most recent findings from the Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety 

Survey (MVOSS) study, 16- to 34-year-olds made up only 18% of the entire sample. The reasons for this 

discrepancy include a lower response rate among younger adults, a higher proportion of 16- to 34-yearolds living in group quarters (e.g., dormitories), and a higher proportion of this age group living in cellphone-only households. Hence, a simple proportionate sample of the adult driver population based on 

RDD landline methodology will not meet the needs of this study design. Consequently, people 16 to 34 

years old will be over-sampled using the following probability sampling procedure. The entire landline 

RDD sample will be divided into random subsamples called replicates. For one set of replicates, one 

eligible individual will be randomly selected from the sample household. For a second set of replicates, 

we will screen the sample household for the presence of eligible individuals 16 to 34, and randomly 

select one per sample household. The achievement of the target number of interviews is managed 

through the careful release of sample replicates within each of the two sets. This approach yields a 

probability sample because no quotas are used. 

Table B-2 presents the national population figures and projected sample distribution by age for the total 

sample of 6,000 respondents. In this figure, we show the distribution of age given the population 

proportions, as well as our experience with the cross-sectional sample of drivers in MVOSS 2007 (i.e., 

without an oversample or a cell phone component). We outline our plan to correct for this discrepancy 

in the following sections. 

B-2
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE B-2. Expected Population and Sample Distribution By Age 

Population Sample 

Target 

Population (in 

thousands) 

Percentage 

of Target 

Population 

PopulationBased 

Distribution 

of Sample 

Expected 

Distribution of 

Sample** 

(n) 

Expected 

Distribution of 

Sample 

(in percent) 

Total (16+) 

16-24 

25-34 

35-44 

45-64 

65+ 

233,627 

37,476 

39,960 

41,735 

77,397 

37,060 

16.04% 

17.10% 

17.86% 

33.13% 

15.86% 

6,000 

962 

1,026 

1,072 

1,988 

952 

6,000 

366 

732 

1,086 

2,406 

1,410 

6.1% 

12.2% 

18.1% 

40.1% 

23.5% 

U.S. Bureau of the Census, Population Estimates, Age Category Estimates, June 1, 2008 

Source: www.census.gov/popest/national/asrh/files/NC-EST2007-ALLDATA-N-File19.csv 

** Sample distribution from MVOSS 2007 

NSDDAB Sample Construction 

The target population specified for this study is the driver (aged 16 and older) population, residing in the 

50 States and the District of Columbia. Consequently, the initial stage in the construction of this sample 

requires the development of a national probability sample of the non-institutionalized adult population 

of the United States. 

The estimated distribution of the population by stratum is calculated on the basis of the U.S. Census 

Bureau, Population Estimates by State by Single Year of Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 2008.

1 The 

population estimates are taken for the population16 and older. Based on these Census estimates of the 

geographic distribution of the target population, the total sample is proportionately allocated by NHTSA 

region. 

1 www.census.gov/popest/datasets.html 

B-3
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NSDDAB Cell Phone-Only Households 

For the past several decades, random digit dial (RDD) landline telephone sampling has provided a costefficient strategy for conducting surveys of the U.S. household population. However, as the percentage 

of cell phone only households (households with no landline but accessible by cell phone) continues to 

grow, the validity of the basic RDD landline sampling model has come into question. The increasing 

percentage of households that are abandoning their landline telephones for cell phones has significantly 

reduced the population coverage provided by landline-based surveys. For the second half of 2008, the 

percentage of cell phone only households was 20.2% according to the National Health Interview Survey 

(NHIS) (Blumberg & Luke 20092

). Moreover, three out of five (60.6%) of all adults living with unrelated 

roommates and two out of five (41.5%) adults 25 to 29 years old live in cell phone only households. 

These adults are not covered by current RDD landline sampling procedures, which exclude telephone 

exchanges and 1,000 banks used exclusively for cell phones. Based on NHIS estimates from January-June 

2004 to July-December 2008, the percentage of cell phone only households is increasing. Furthermore, 

these are some of the same groups that are increasingly under-represented in current RDD landline 

telephone surveys due to differential non-response. 

The NSDDAB will include a sample of cellular telephone numbers by drawing a NHTSA-region stratified 

sample of cellular telephone numbers. Regional stratification based on cellular area codes is feasible to 

implement because the regions are defined in terms of states. However, due to number portability, 

some cell phone respondents may be living outside of their area code. We will ask all cell phone 

respondents what their State and ZIP Code is in order to account for this. 

For the cell phone only sample, we will interview drivers that only have cellular telephone service and 

do not have a landline phone in their household. Our experience with other surveys is that about 40% 

of the contacted adults in a cell phone sample only have cellular telephone service, while 60% have a 

cell phone and a landline in their household. We will conduct 780 interviews with cell phone only 

households. 

NSDDAB Landline and Cell Phone Mostly Households 

Dual frame sampling indicates that one can use a landline RDD sample to sample landline-only 

households and households that have landline and cellular telephone service (dual service). If one 

screens for cell phone only adults in the cell phone sample, then the design is referred to as a nonoverlapping dual frame design (i.e., a two-stratum design: landline households and cell-only individuals). 

Estimation procedures are much simpler for non-overlapping dual frame designs compared to 

overlapping dual frame designs (e.g., if we also included adults in the cell phone sample with dual 

telephone service). Therefore, most cell phone samples have only included cell phone only adults. 

2 Blumberg, S. J., & Luke, J. V. (2009, May). Wireless substitution: Early release of estimates From the National 

Health Interview Survey, July-December 2008. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Health Statistics. Available at 

www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm. 

B-4
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE B-3. Sample Size by Type and Age 

Age 

RDD Sample (87%) 

Cell Phone 

Sample (13%) 

Landline 

Landline Over 

Sample 

Cell Phone 

Mostly 

Cell Phone 

Only 

TOTAL 

16-34 721 500 312 390 1,923 

35+ 3,219 0 468 390 4,077 

TOTAL 940 500 780 780 6,000 

Landline households include both households that exclusively use landlines (i.e., do not own or use 

cellular phones) as well as those with dual telephone service who primarily use their landline phones. 

We will conduct 4,440 interviews with respondents in landline-mostly households. 

NHTSA is oversampling 16- to 34-year-olds in the landline sample because they are overrepresented in 

motor vehicle crashes. Blumberg and Luke (2009) demonstrate that at least 50% of those living in cellphone-only households are 16 to 34 years old. There is a slightly smaller proportion of 16-to 34-yearolds living in households that are cell-phone-mostly. Thus, we anticipate completing about 702 

interviews in this age group from the 1,560 interviews in the cell phone sample. This is in addition to 

721 people 16 to 34 years old we expect to contact in the landline sample and 500 people 16 to 34 we 

will oversample via landline, bringing the total number of 16- to 34-year-olds in the final sample to 1,923 

(32% of total sample). 

Cell phone mostly households are those households that have both a landline and a cell phone. Past 

studies have shown that cell phone mostly households are similar in many ways to cell phone only 

households (e.g. Blumberg & Luke, 2009). We will conduct 780 interviews with respondents in cell 

phone mostly households. 

Non-Overlapping Dual Frame Design 

Landline RDD Sample 

Landline Only/Mostly Cell Phone Mostly Cell Phone Only 

In Table B-3 we show the expected number of interviews that will be conducted using each sample 

stratified by age. These numbers are based on estimates from past studies and are not meant to reflect 

an exact representation of the final sample. 

B-5
 


DOT HS 811 555
 

December 2011