Every year, tens of thousands of people die in traffic accidents. Many of these deaths could be prevented if everyone practiced safe driving habits. If you’re doing your part to keep our roads safe, you can reward yourself by downloading the Safe Roads Challenge app and competing to win real prizes.
The Heavy Toll of Distracted and Aggressive Driving
In 2023, 40,901 people lost their lives to motor vehicle crashes in the U.S., according to IIHS, including 93 deaths in Hawaii.
Many crashes are the result of dangerous driving habits. According to the NHTSA, in 2023:
- Speeding killed 11,775 people.
- Distracted driving killed 3,275 people.
- Drunk driving killed 12,429 people.
Careless driving and a failure to follow the rules of the road can also result in traffic deaths. Of the vehicles involved in fatal crashes in 2023, the National Safety Council says that:
- 2% were engaged in careless driving.
- 9% failed to yield right-of-way.
- 5% displayed improper lane usage.
- 3% failed to obey traffic signs, devices or officers.
Are You a Safe Driver?
If you haven’t contributed to a serious traffic accident, it might be because you’re a safe driver – or it could be because you’ve been lucky so far.
A 2025 Driving Habits Survey from U.S. News & World Report found that 27% of drivers admit to rolling through stop signs and 43% admit to yelling, honking or making gestures at other drivers at least sometimes. Distracted driving is also a problem, with 21% of drivers saying they feel very or extremely guilty about using their phone while driving. People may also be prone to overestimating their driving abilities; 56% of drivers think they are somewhat or very cautious, but only 21% say they always obey the speed limit, indicating a serious disconnect between perceived caution and actual habits.
It’s one thing to claim you’re a safe driver. It’s another thing to consistently practice safe habits behind the wheel. Do you do the following?
- Obey the rules of the road, including the speed limit.
- Use a seatbelt and make sure your passengers use theirs.
- Avoid using phones while driving, even when stopped at a light.
- Stay calm, even when other drivers cut you off.
- Only drive when sober and alert.
Reward Yourself
If you’re a safe driver – or making a sincere effort to improve your driving habits – you can reward yourself with the Safe Roads Challenge app. This free app encourages safe driving with gamified features and real prizes.
- Download the app and set the location and motion & fitness permissions to “Always.”
- Drive as usual. The app will detect movement of your car and start monitoring the trip automatically, so you don’t need to do anything in the app to start or end the trip.
- See your score. After every trip, the app will provide a score, so you can see how well you’re doing and if there’s room for improvement.
- Collect the trip in the app and indicate whether you were a passenger or driver for a trip so you can earn points and contest entries.
You can participate in weekly challenges for a chance to win gift cards. You can also join the Hawaii Safe Roads Challenge for a shot at $100,000.
As part of our commitment to safe driving, FICOH is proud to be a sponsor of the Hawaii Safe Roads Challenge. Learn more.