UC Berkeley SafeTREC has released the California Traffic Safety Survey 2025. The study was led by Ewald & Wasserman Research Consultants (E&W) and conducted on behalf of the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and SafeTREC. The California Traffic Safety Survey has been conducted annually since 2010, and this year's survey was conducted online in all California counties for a total of 2,319 respondents.
Over 25 questions were created to address a variety of topics concerning road safety, including distracted driving, driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, pedestrian and bicyclist safety, and behavioral changes perceived in drivers since the COVID-19 pandemic. First introduced to the California Traffic Safety Survey in 2022, respondents were also asked to rate five elements of increasing road safety that comprises the Safe System Approach.
Top safety concerns on California roadways
For the ninth year since the survey was first conducted in 2010, survey respondents were most concerned about speeding and aggressive driving on California roadways, with 18.8% of respondents citing it as a top concern. Other top concerns include drunk driving and distracted driving due to texting, in that order.
| Q2 all answers combined | Count | % of answers | % of drivers |
| Speeding/Aggressive Driving | 1,771 | 18.8% | 77.5% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drunk Driving | 1,675 | 17.8% | 73.3% |
| Distracted Driving because of Texting | 1,632 | 17.3% | 71.4% |
| Drugged Driving | 1,091 | 11.6% | 47.7% |
| Bad Road Surfaces | 1,047 | 11.1% | 45.8% |
| Distracted Driving because of Talking | 805 | 8.6% | 35.2% |
| Internal Car Distractions (passengers, eating, grooming, adjusting radio/stereo) | 666 | 7.1% | 29.1% |
| Not Wearing Seatbelts | 659 | 7.0% | 28.8% |
| All Other Responses Combined | 72 | 0.8% | 3.2% |
| Total | 9.419 | 100.0% | 412.1% |
Table displaying responses to "In your opinion, what are the biggest safety problems on California roadways?" Respondents could select multiple answers. The top response was "Speeding/Aggressive Driving" by 1,771 respondents, followed by "Drunk Driving" by 1,675 respondents and "Distracted Driving because of Texting" by 1,632 respondents.
Changes in driver behavior due to COVID-19
Since the 2021 survey, respondents have been asked what they believe is the biggest change in driver behavior since the COVID-19 pandemic. For the fifth year in a row, respondents have perceived aggressive driving and road rage as the largest behavioral change.
| COVID by Region | Total 2025 | Total 2024 | Total 2023 |
| Aggressive Driving/Road Rage | 32.6% | 34.3% | 33.8% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distracted Driving because of Talking and/or Texting | 19.9% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Have Not Noticed Any Changes | 19.2% | 18.7% | 21.1% |
| Speeding | 17.5% | 17.3% | 16.2% |
| Impaired Driving | 6.4% | 6.2% | 6.0% |
| Not Wearing Seatbelts | 2.6% | 2.1% | 2.3% |
| Other (uncoded) | 1.7% | 1.3% | 1.4% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
Table displaying responses to "Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, what is the biggest change in behaviors you have noticed from drivers?" Respondents could select multiple answers. The top response was "Aggressive Driving/Road Rage" by 32.6% of respondents, followed by "Distracted Driving because of Talking and/or Texting" by 19.9% of respondents and "Have Not Noticed Any Changes" by 19.2% of respondents.
Additional survey findings
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Since 2013, respondents perceive texting and/or checking one's phone while driving as the most serious distraction on California roadways.
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33.5% of surveyed drivers “Regularly” or “Sometimes” used a cell phone non-hands-free in the past six months.
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The likelihood of being ticketed for using a hand-held cell phone or texting was perceived as “Very Likely” by 29.0%, which is another significant 4.2% increase since 2024
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74.3% of surveyees mostly drive as their main form of transportation, 2.5% less than last year.
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Simultaneously, the percentage of respondents who “Mostly Walk” or “Mostly Ride a Bike” has increased annually since 2022, a significant change over the past three years.
For additional information on California drivers' perceptions of road safety, the California Traffic Safety Survey is available online for 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2018. The California Speeding and Aggressive Driving Study is also available online for 2019