Driving in the US is becoming less predictable, more stressful, and less trusted, according to new survey findings from Nationwide – developments that go straight to the core of personal and commercial auto performance.
The survey highlighted a widening gap between perceived and actual risk on the road. Most motorists rate their own driving highly, but nearly nine in 10 said phone use behind the wheel has increased over the past year and reported similar rises in aggressive and reckless behavior. Forty per cent (40%) said they feel stressed while driving, and more than two-thirds frequently witness road rage.
That combination of heightened distraction, tension, and mistrust feeds directly into frequency, severity, and litigation exposure at a time when social inflation and large verdicts are already weighing on auto results.
Nationwide’s data underlines how anxious parents have become about teen drivers. Ninety-one per cent (91%) of parents said they are at least somewhat anxious about their teen’s driving, and nearly half (49%) said driving is stressful for their teen. More than eight in 10 consumers (84%) and parents (85%) believe teens are more distracted than other age groups, while only 12% rate teen drivers as “very good” or “excellent”. Nearly nine in 10 said teens need more behind-the-wheel training.
Meanwhile, four in 10 parents with teen drivers said they would trust an autonomous vehicle over their teen in certain situations, even though confidence in self-driving systems remains mixed and higher levels of automation are not yet widely available.
Based on these results, the study noted that telematics apps and in-vehicle devices that track factors such as phone use, hard braking, speeding, and night driving can be positioned not just as rating tools but as coaching and reassurance mechanisms for families.
According to the study, all of this is playing out in a personal auto market where rate adequacy, retention, and shopping activity remain under pressure. Carriers able to link meaningful incentives to safer driving – and demonstrate tangible impact to parents and teens – are better placed to manage loss costs and differentiate themselves in a competitive landscape.
On the commercial side, the Nationwide survey gives a ground-level view of a line that has been challenging industrywide for years.
Company drivers report a 10-point increase in distraction (now 77%), a 10-point increase in recklessness (73%), and a 15-point increase (74%) in unsafe driving around larger vehicles compared with Nationwide’s 2025 Driving Behaviors study. Nearly half of commercial drivers (47%) said they feel stressed, exhausted, and frustrated while driving for work, and 60% worry that aggressive drivers could cause an accident. One in four admitted they are at least sometimes distracted behind the wheel.
“Driving no longer feels as predictable or routine as it once did,” said Mark McGhiey, commercial risk management leader at Nationwide. “Many describe a road environment with more distractions, more tension and less trust in the people around them. These conditions are particularly concerning for company drivers as many worry about the threat of accidents, injuries and the ripple effects on future employment opportunities.”
The findings also reinforce the value of embedded risk management and technology. Dashcams and dual-facing cameras can help clarify liability and defend against questionable claims when another driver causes a crash. GPS telematics and driver scoring can support coaching, route optimization, and targeted interventions for higher-risk drivers or locations.
Carriers that integrate these tools into their propositions – and use the resulting data for more than just pricing – are better positioned to improve loss ratios and stand out in a crowded fleet market.
Nationwide’s research paints a picture of roads that many drivers see as less predictable and less governed by shared norms than in the past. For insurers, that environment raises several strategic questions.
On underwriting and pricing, the challenge is how quickly models can adjust to sustained increases in distraction and aggression when traditional rating variables may not fully capture behavioral risk. On product design, carriers are weighing where to build in incentives for safer driving without adding undue complexity or alienating price-sensitive buyers. On claims and litigation, the growing role of telematics, dashcam footage, and incident data is central to reducing disputes, supporting early settlement, and defending against nuclear verdicts, especially in commercial auto.
“Drivers are noticing changes in driving behavior on the road, and that awareness is an important first step toward improving road safety,” said Chris Lee, VP of personal lines auto at Nationwide. “While we can’t control every driver around us, we can control how we drive.”
