Volvo says distracted driving is ageless so stop blaming Millennials

Distracted driving has been one of the most infamous culprits of road accidents. This, in turn, have made car brands come up with solutions and further improve their safety technology. Just this year, Ford conducted its own study to address the issue, while Mazda claims their Mazda Connect technology reduces driver-to-gadget distraction. 

Meanwhile, a breakthrough study in distracted driving by Volvo found out that Millennials (25 to 34 years old) aren’t the only ones who commit the act. According to a Volvo Reports: Finding Focus on the Road—a wide ranging survey conducted by Volvo—Generation X (35 to 45 years old) individuals are more likely to use their phone when driving. Over 2,000 Americans participated in this survey, 1,665 of which are drivers from June 2018.

All these years, we’ve been putting the blame to the Millennial generation alone, not knowing that the older generation is part of it as well. Data shows that 71 percent of Americans use their phone while driving. Majority of this margin is composed of Gen-X, who are parents of Gen-Z (18 – 24 years old). In fact, it is forecasted by 55% of Americans that distracted driving poses more threat on the road compared to driving under the influence. 

Tallying to 73 percent, parents continue to outpace Gen-Zs in phone usage while on the road. One in three of these parents admit that they use their phone even when their kids are inside the car. To make a change, 64 percent of the county’s population are already looking forward to cut down distraction. Add Gen-Z to this and the number rises to 89 percent.

On the flip side, there are those people who are doing the right thing. According to Volvo, 33 percent of American drivers drive in silence to minimize distraction, while 32 percent turn their phones on airplane mode when driving. In addition to this, 89 percent of the participants feel the need of deeper and better education around the matter. 

With this, Volvo promises to continue its efforts as one of the leading advocates of vehicle safety. The Swedish brand plans to integrate category-leading features across its models’ design, safety, and comfort, which aims to reduce distracted driving. This plan is part of the brand’s Vision 2020, aiming for minimized to zero casualties or accidents on 2020 Volvo models.