The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety report found that while nearly 10 percent of motorists surveyed admitted to driving drunk during the previous month, they cited drinking and driving as the most serious safety issue on the road, and most also rated running red lights and driving while using a cell phone as serious problems.
The study raises questions about whether drivers are being honest with themselves, according to AAA of Northern California spokesman Michael Geeser.
"The 'do as I say but not as I do' mentality needs to end," Geeser said.
Three out of four motorists surveyed said they were more careful than others behind the wheel, the study reported.
And while more than 80 percent also rated distracted drivers as a serious problem, more than half said they had used a cell phone while driving and 14 percent admitted to text messaging while driving, according to the study.
More than half of the motorists surveyed said they have sped up to get past yellow lights, and 5 percent admitted running red lights, despite more than 70 percent rating red light running as a serious problem, the study reported.
Geeser advised drivers to "take more responsibility for their own driving instead of blaming the other guy."
According to AAA, traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for people ages 2 to 34. AAA reports there are more than 40,000 fatalities on U.S. roads nearly every year.
