The 4 Most Commonly Broken Driving Laws – Are You Guilty?

America’s most frequent traffic violations—and who’s guiltiest

A new survey has revealed which laws drivers are most likely to break, with over 60% of respondents admitting to two specific behaviors. The study, conducted by FinanceBuzz, surveyed 1,000 U.S. drivers, and the answers contained some deviation between generations.

While the most commonly reported behavior of eating behind the wheel isn’t illegal in itself, the act can be deemed a form of distracted driving, allowing police to write a citation. Of the 67% of drivers who acknowledged eating while driving, 53% were Baby Boomers, 73% Gen X, 70% Millennials, and 73% Gen Z. Of the survey’s respondents, 67% admitted to eating while driving within the past year. The second-most frequently broken traffic law was speeding, at 62% within the past year, affecting at least half of drivers of all ages. Still, Gen Z was the least likely to speed at 54%, while Gen X’s 66% was the segment’s highest rate. 

Distracted driving with cell phones ranked third, with 39% of respondents admitting to making calls without using Bluetooth and 33% acknowledging that they had texted while driving. Varying rates of generations talking on the phone without Bluetooth included 25% of Baby Boomers, 39% of Gen X, 48% of Millenials, and 47% of Gen Z. Regarding texting while driving, Baby Boomers were guilty of this behavior at a rate of 14%, while Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z were listed at rates of 32%, 49%, and 38%, respectively. Uninsured drivers ranked fourth in this study’s list of the most commonly broken road laws at 10%.

Under-the-Radar traffic offenses on American roads

Other than speeding, the most common moving violations were rolling through stop signs at 38%, illegal U-turns at 21%, turning at a red light when not allowed at 18%, and passing other drivers on a solid double-yellow line at 14%. Not driving with a seatbelt is one of the most dangerous driving behaviors, but 20% of respondents admitted to doing so within the last year. Baby Boomers were the least likely to drive without a seatbelt at 8%, with the remaining generations ranging from rates of 20% to 33%. The study reports that 9% of surveyed drivers travel with over-tinted windows, and Gen Z was the most likely to break this law, at 27%. Driving with an expired license or having too many passengers both had average rates of 7% across generations, with Gen Z exhibiting the latter behavior the most at 21%. Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers were reported as driving overcrowded vehicles at rates of 9%, 3%, and 1%, respectively.

Final thoughts 

Eating while driving came in first place, and the activity, technically not being illegal in itself, could be influencing its prevalence. Still, police can issue distracted driving citations for eating behind the wheel if it affects your ability to operate a vehicle safely. While there were often differences in law-breaking rates between generations, speeding had the highest crossover. Younger drivers were more likely to engage in distracting behaviors, such as texting while driving, as well as over-tinting their car windows, and a surprising number of respondents (10%) acknowledged driving without insurance, giving you something to think about the next time you’re near ten or more cars.