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Men are more bothered than women by other drivers who talk ontheir phones but lane cutters irk the ladies more than guys,according to a survey by Progressive.

Progressive surveyed 1,700 people nationwide about their drivinghabits and also about their pet peeves when it comes to othermotorists' unsafe (and often illegal) behavior behind thewheel.

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The insurer, which says it conducted the survey to raiseawareness about safe driving habits, found these driving behaviorsby others bothered men and women as follows:

• Cellphone talking — men 16%; women 9%
• Not using turn signals — men 10%; women 13%
• Lane cutters — men 8% ; women 13%
• Weaving in and out of traffic — men 8%; women 9%

When results are combined, texting topped the list, with about28% saying they hated to see another driver doing it. Here are theother findings:

• Talking on the phone — 13%
• Tailgating — also 13%
• Not using turn signals — 11%
• Lane-cutting — 10%
• Weaving in and out of traffic — 8%

Noisy passengers are more distracting than talking on a phonewhile driving, according to the survey. Nearly half (47%) cite loudpassengers as more disruptive to concentration than theircellphones.

Get a grip: Three-quarters don't know correct handplacement on wheel

Another notable survey result: Seventy-five percent did not knowthat the correct hand placement on a steering wheel is 10 and threeo'clock. Most drivers surveyed answered 10 and two o'clock, which,in their defense, was taught as the best placement for years beforethe small adjustment.

Eighty-two percent of motorists have had at least one "closecall" with another vehicle in the past year. And, on average,drivers had six of these near-accidents. If you cause anaccident, liabilityinsurance pays for damages to the other car or propertyand for injuries to others, while collision insurance covers damageto your own vehicle.

But at least we're all buckling up, right? Perhaps not so much,44% of respondents admitted they've broken the law by forgetting towear a seatbelt at least once. 31% said they've gone belt-less morethan once during the year.

Texting, tailgating tickets and carinsurance

Texting and talking on the cellphone behind the wheel are, ofcourse, seen as much more than annoyances; the National HighwayTraffic Safety Administration attributes as many as 3,000 highwaydeaths to them every year. Recognizing the dangers, states haveaggressively moved to curb them.

Fourteen states—including California, Connecticut, New York,Oregon and Washington—and the District of Columbia prohibit alldrivers from using handheld cellphones. And 38 states and D.C. banall cellphone use, including hands-free use, for new drivers(usually 18 and under), according to the Governors Highway SafetyAssociation.

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As for texting, 44 states and D.C. have laws banning them forall drivers, and four—Texas, Mississippi, Missouri and Oklahoma—banthem for new drivers.

In some states, texting tickets add points to your drivingrecord, which may trigger a rate hike if your insurer sees thatupon review of your record, especially if you have otherinfractions or have been in a recent accident. (An analysis byInsurance.com shows your yearly rate could jump by about 13%, onaverage, if you're caught for tailgating, the survey's other toppet peeve.)

Here are examples of some states that tack on points if you'recaught texting and driving:

• Alabama: 2 points are added
• New York: 5 points
• Vermont: 2 points for first offense and 5 points for asubsequent offense
• Virginia: 3 points
• Wisconsin: 4 points

Several states make an insurance surcharge less likely byspecifying that breaking the texting law comes with a fine, butwon't result in extra points or be considered a moving violation.Among them are:

• California: no points and not a moving violation
• Idaho: no points and not a moving violation
• Iowa: no points and not a moving violation
• North Carolina: no points and not a moving violation
• Washington: no points and not a moving violation

How to trim points from your driving record

Here are two ways to mitigate a ticket (and help keep your ratesfrom rising): Maintain a long period of violation-free driving andattend traffic school. If you've already got a few points, trafficschool can also keep you from racking up a license suspension orveering into "driver responsibility fees," where states levyhundreds, even thousands of dollars in fees on bad drivers.

A few states, Virginia is one, offer "driver improvementclinics." Bad drivers take these courses either voluntarily orunder orders from the DMV or a traffic judge. The Virginia DMV willtrim as many as five demerits for completing an 8-hour class.

Here are a few examples of how other states approach points:

• In New York, drivers can take a Point and Insurance ReductionProgram (PIRP) course to subtract 4 points from their record.Drivers who complete the course receive a 10% reduction, for threeyears, in the base rate of their current automobile liability,no-fault and collision premiums. Points associated with a violationare automatically removed after 18 months.
• In Pennsylvania, drivers must take an approved training courseafter hitting 6 points on their record. But on the positive side, 2points are trimmed from their record after course completion.Beyond the class, 3 points are removed for every 12 consecutivemonths (from the date of the last violation) a motorist isviolation-free.
• California automatically subtracts the demerit points for aviolation after three years of safe driving.

See also: Compare average car insurance rates by state and ZIPcode