If you’re getting out of town for the long weekend, we’ve got some advice for you. eDriving recently commissioned a poll to find out about people’s driving experiences and thoughts. What we learned can help save your Labor Day road trip.
Arguing in the Car
We asked over 2,000 people to tell us what they argue about when they’re in the car. Here’s what we found:
- Younger drivers tend to argue about music. Almost half of the drivers between ages 18 and 34 said they argue about what to listen to on the radio.
- Older drivers argue less. Over 40% of drivers ages 55-64 and 65+ said they don’t argue about anything at all.
- But when older drivers do argue, they argue about speed. Drivers in age groups over 35 argue the most about driving faster or slower.
- People don’t really care about who’s driving. Across all age groups, people argue the least about who should be in the driver’s seat.
Who’s the Better Driver?
Even though only 6% of people said they argue about who should drive, our survey shows they’re probably still secretly disagreeing about who is better behind the wheel.
According to our poll, 85% of adults said that they are very good or fairly good drivers. But only 55% said the same thing about their spouse or significant other. Men are also more likely to consider themselves to be good drivers, despite the fact that more men make up 70% of traffic fatalities .
So what does this all mean? Even if you think you’re a great driver, your kids and partner probably don’t agree! So are you really a good driver, or are you overrating your behind-the-wheel skills?
Unfortunately, according to estimates from the car insurance industry , most people will be in a crash by age 34 and be in a total of three to four collisions in their lifetime–not exactly a great driving record, which is why we’re always adding new technology to our courses to help drivers be safer and smarter.
Tips for a Smooth Labor Day Road Trip
So with all of this information in mind, what can we do about it? I’m about to take a road trip to Calaveras Big Trees State Park myself, and I definitely don’t want to spend the whole four-hour drive arguing.
- Don’t talk about who’s the better driver. It doesn’t even matter what you think about your spouse or partner’s driving skills. The last thing you want to do is tell someone you think they’re a lousy driver while they’re driving.
- Plan your music ahead of time. Before your trip, create a playlist (or if a mix CD if you’re old-school like me) and let the other passengers veto songs they don’t like. If you don’t have time to do that, just let the passenger be in charge. You shouldn’t be fiddling with the stereo while you’re driving anyway.
- Keep a safe following distance. Our poll shows that speed is a big issue people disagree about. Of course we’re going to you that you should stick to the speed limit. But we also know that 20% of drivers like to speed even though they know it’s dangerous, so at the very least you should always maintain a safe following distance.
- Take more breaks. A lot of drivers just want to get to their destination as fast as possible without stopping. Even our Director of Content Marketing admits that one of his driving vices is that he hates taking breaks . But when in doubt, it’s better to stop so people can go to the restroom or grab a snack instead of suffering through the whole drive. More important, it’s also good chance to switch drivers so you don’t get driving fatigue.
- Just let it go. If something is annoying you about someone’s driving, just forget about it unless it’s a matter of safety! Arguing in the car is distracting and can be dangerous. Besides, you don’t want to ruin the trip by fighting about something silly like a song you don’t like or the A/C being too low.