Millennials are people born between 1980 and 1996. Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964.
The two generations are vastly different, with different attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Millennials are an active generation who always want to be on the go. They like to use their smartphones and social media more than other generations.
Boomers, on the other hand, are a more sedentary generation. They like to spend time at home, watch TV and stay indoors.
There are so many stereotypes about millennials and boomers, and a lot of people don’t seem to agree on which generation drives better. That’s why we decided to find out.
The Contributing Factors To Being A Good Driver
To understand which generation makes the better drivers, we must first look at what constitutes a good driver. Good driving must include the following.
The Ability To Drive Safely
A good driver must be able to navigate the road properly, have good reflexes, and make good decisions while driving. He or she must not be distracted by the radio, talking on the phone, or even by other road users.
The Ability To Follow the Rules of the Road
A good driver must know and follow all road signs, traffic laws, and speed limits.
The Ability To Stay Cool and Collected
A good driver needs to stay calm on the road at all times. He must not get irritated by another driver or his personal issues and should not react irrationally while on the road.
The Ability To Overcome an Obstacle or a Hazard
A good driver must be able to see every situation and immediately adjust to it. He or she should be able to prevent collisions whenever possible. According to one study, car accidents increased 41% between 2020 and 2021 in the state of Florida alone.
Now that we know what makes a good driver let’s take a look at some facts about the two generations and their driving abilities. We will then determine who is the better driver between millennials and boomers.
Millennials More Likely To Be Distracted Than Boomers
Millennials are more distracted while driving than the boomers. According to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, millennials are more likely to get distracted by their smartphones and other electronic devices while driving than the older generation. Eighty-eight percent of millennials engage in visual-manual tasks, which means taking their eyes off the road and manually interacting with an object like a smartphone. This makes them the worst-behaved drivers.
Millennials are also more likely to text while driving than boomers. They are likely to send or read a text message, check their email, drink coffee, or even put on makeup while driving.
Millennials Are More Likely To Be Distracted by Their Own Emotions Than Boomers
Millennials are more likely to become emotional while driving. They tend to react strongly toward other people and situations, which distracts them. On the other hand, boomers are less likely to get angry or show road rage. Since boomers are calmer, they can hold on to their emotions more.
Millennials Have More Confidence in Their Driving Abilities Than Boomers
Millennials are more likely to have confidence in themselves and their driving skills compared to their older counterparts. This is an advantage since confidence is one of the key parts of good driving.
Boomers Are More Likely To Pass a Written Test Than Millennials
Boomers are more likely to pass a driving test than millennials. A survey conducted on U.S. residents aged 16 and older found that boomers were able to score an average of 84 points out of a possible 100 compared to millennials, who scored 82.
Millennials Are More Likely To Commit Traffic Violations Than Boomers
Millennials have the highest rate of traffic violations among other generations. They are more likely to speed, run red lights, text while driving, and even drive under the influence of alcohol than the older generation. According to studies, 27.31 percent of all millennial drivers have an at-fault accident on their record, 13.60 percent have a speeding ticket on their record, and 2.53 percent have a driving under the influence on their record.
Another study shows that drivers between the age of 19 and 24 are 1.6 times more likely to report having read a text message or email while driving than any other age group. The same study shows that drivers of the same age group are 1.4 times more likely to report driving 10 mph over the allowed speed limit, even on a residential street. Fifty percent of them also have, at some point, driven through a light that had just turned red, even when they could have stopped easily.
Millennials Have More Ability To React to a Sudden Change Than Boomers
It’s no secret that millennials have one advantage when it comes to cars and driving – they are more likely to be able to react quickly compared to their older counterparts. They are also more likely to be equipped with modern technologies like adaptive cruise control, which makes them better drivers unless these technologies fail for some reason.
Boomers Are More Experienced Than Millennials
Driving is a skill. It becomes even better when you put enough time and effort into it. That said, boomers have an advantage in this area. The fact that they are older means they are more experienced as drivers. They have more hours behind the wheel and better knowledge about parts of the country where driving can be dangerous. They also know which roads to avoid in certain conditions, giving them an edge over younger drivers with limited experience driving in the U.S.
In addition, millennials are less interested in driving compared to other generations; reports suggest that millennials are eight to nine percent less interested in driving than the older generations.
Based on all the information above, we can conclude that boomers are the better drivers. They are more experienced, have more driving knowledge and experience than millennials, can hold their emotions in check while driving, and are also less likely to take risks while they are behind the wheel.
