Drivers far more confident in their own ability than others’; most passengers offer ‘advice from the other seat’
GREENVILLE, S.C., Oct. 16, 2015 — Michelin North America and Katie Couric, Yahoo global news anchor and New York Times bestselling author of The Best Advice I Ever Got, are inviting America’s drivers to share their best advice and stories for staying safe on the road using #SharingSafety.
The Michelin #SharingSafety campaign kicks off during National Teen Driver Safety Week (Oct. 18‒24) and features Katie Couric in a video where she shares her safe-driving story and advice, and encourages drivers across America to do the same. By crowdsourcing and sharing advice across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the #SharingSafety hashtag, Michelin offers an additional resource for road safety.
A new survey commissioned by Michelin finds:
- The majority of drivers are confident in their own driving abilities (81 percent rank themselves highly), but 66 percent have felt unsafe when someone else was at the wheel.
- 3 in 4 (73 percent) have witnessed an accident or experienced a “close call” firsthand (76 percent), and 62 percent have been in an accident that someone else caused.
- 69 percent see other motorists ignoring safe-driving practices daily.
- Not surprisingly, 75 percent of drivers admit to “offering advice from the other seat.”
- The best sources of advice are still the tried-and-true: dad (selected by 52 percent), mom (32 percent) and driver’s education instructors (27 percent).
- The driving advice people receive most frequently includes signaling before changing lanes (75 percent) and staying in the right lane unless you’re passing (68 percent).
Encouraging safe-driving behaviors with drivers of all ages can help improve road safety, yet this is particularly critical for America’s youngest drivers. Car crashes remain the No. 1 killer of teens, with 2,614 teen drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes in 2013, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“We want to draw people into a national conversation about road safety during National Teen Driver Safety Week,” said Pete Selleck, chairman and president of Michelin North America. “Sharing even simple tips like how to maintain tires could mean the difference between life or death.”
The campaign is the latest step in Michelin’s ongoing efforts to increase awareness of road safety. A 2014 study by Michelin found significant gaps in teen road readiness, including tire-related safety knowledge and skills. To close current safety gaps in the U.S. driver’s education curriculum, Michelin launched the Beyond the Driving Test campaign. Learn more about tire maintenance and keeping young drivers safe on the road, including how to check tire tread and pressure, by visiting beyondthedrivingtest.com.
About the Survey
A telephone omnibus (combined landline and cell phone) was conducted from Oct. 1‒4, 2015. The study reached a national sample of 1,015 American adults ages 18 and older, weighted to ensure the results reflect the general population. The margin of error for the total sample is ±3.0% at the 95 percent confidence level.
