Young and old name each other as biggest safety threats on the road

(July 4, 2019) ROCKLEIGH, N.J. — According to a new survey by The Harris Poll on behalf of Volvo Cars, Gen Zs1 and Baby Boomers2 point the finger at each other when naming the most significant safety threats on the road today.

In a wide-ranging survey of Americans across a broad range of generations, Volvo set out to explore the effectiveness of driver’s ed programs in developing safer and more confident drivers.

The full results are published in Volvo Reports: The State of Driver Education, the latest in a series of Volvo Reports from Volvo Car USA and The Harris Poll, that explores the ever-changing relationship between Americans and their car.

Two-thirds (66%) of Americans of all ages believe teens are the most dangerous drivers on the road today, but younger, newer drivers disagree.

Gen Zs claim senior citizens are the biggest safety threats (58%).
While 85% of older drivers stand by driver’s ed as a reason for being a confident driver, Gen Zs are less likely to do so (74%).

Even as the most recent generation to take driver’s ed, 1 in 4 Gen Zs (24%) are not confident they would pass the driver’s test if they had to retake it today.

Long-term retention is also an issue, as more than half (55%) of Gen Zs say they remember half or less of what they learned in driver’s ed.
The oldest drivers surveyed, Boomers, say they remember most or everything they learned (56%).

Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Volvo from May 21-29, 2019, among 2,000 licensed adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.