Ninety-three percent of drivers think reading on a cell phone while driving is ‘very or extremely’ dangerous. Thirty-six percent of those same drivers admitted to doing it anyway in the last 30 days.

That distressing overlap is one takeaway from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s annual study of driver behavior.

The 2021 Traffic Safety Culture Index surveyed a representative sample of active, licensed drivers in the U.S. to study driver behavior. The results, published this week, may shed some light on why federal safety statistics show road deaths have hit a two-decade high.

We know which behaviors are dangerous behind the wheel. Many of us engage in them anyway.