While impaired driving is still worrisome for Canadians, a recent survey shows that texting while driving has risen to the top as being the most threatening to personal road safety.

Last November, Marketwire released a press release on a poll conducted by the Canadian Automobile Association which surveyed 6,000 Canadians about their road safety concerns. While drinking and driving has been the forerunner for over 10 years, these survey results revealed a cultural shift as 85% of respondents feel texting and driving is now the number one road safety issue today.

The poll also showed Canadians have every reason to be concerned about the dangers of texting and driving, “young Canadians, disproportionately those under 30, are texting while driving on a regular basis.” This is despite the fact that seven provinces have banned cell phone use while driving. (We reported the Ontario legislation for a cell phone ban back in 2008.)

From the press release:

“Legislation alone will not solve the issue. Enforcement along with public awareness and education are required, as well as a change in how we as a society view the habit,” said Mr. [Jeff] Walker [CAA Vice-President of Public Relations]. “It is a matter of our society making the practice of texting while driving socially unacceptable.”

As well, the poll found the problem is not a lack of awareness of the laws governing this issue. Canadians of all ages are familiar with laws in their respective regions banning the practice.

Although texting and driving came out on top in this survey, impaired driving is a close second with 83% of the survey respondents citing it as a major threat to their personal safety while on the road.

The press release declared the survey’s accuracy to be within 1.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

What’s your greatest road safety concern today?