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Distracted driving, DUIs and speeding are up in the U.S, even for the traditionally lower-risk insurance customers, according to LexisNexis Risk Solutions.

Across all age demographics, the data showed distracted driving rose 68.8% year-over-year, DUIs for older drivers jumped 19% while DUIs for drivers aged 36 to 45 moved 27.4% higher. At the same time, major and minor speeding violations went up 29.4% and 35.7%, respectively.

“Carriers are navigating a complex landscape, rising premiums, surging policy shopping and heightened consumer sensitivity to cost,” Prasanth Kambhatla, vice president of data science and insurance for LexisNexis Risk Solutions told PropertyCasualty360.

“Violations like distracted driving and speeding are also increasing, including among traditionally lower-risk customers,” he added. “This dynamic environment demands more than traditional segmentation models. Carriers may need to rethink how they identify and engage risk. Not just to price more accurately, but to retain value-conscious customers.”

Deep dive on the data…

Distracted Driving

  • Across all age demographics, distracted driving is up 68.8% year over year (July)
  • Silent Generation drivers (age 66-90) have seen the largest increase of 80.3%, followed by Millennials aged 26-35 (up 77.3%) and Gen X drivers aged 46-55 (up 68.1%).

DUIs

  • From a year-over-year perspective, older drivers (age 66-90) had the highest increase of DUIs at 19%. When baselining to pre-pandemic (2019), that figure jumps dramatically up to 44.8%.
  • With only a 6.6% increase year-over-year, drivers aged 36-45 see the second largest uptick (+27.4%) when compared to 2019 baselines.

Speeding

  • Despite only a 1.2% increase in DOT mileage, major and minor speeding violations are up 29.4% and 35.7%, respectively.
  • Compared to pre-pandemic (2019) levels, major speeding violations have risen by 55.5% while minor speeding violations have increased by 31.2%.

Meanwhile, the average cost of full coverage car insurance in 2025 is roughly $2,638 per year or around $220 each month. Overall, U.S. consumers spend an extra $289 in 2025, or $24 more every month, when compared to 2024.

At the same time, the typical U.S. household now spends 3.39% of their annual income on auto coverage, with the U.S. Census Bureau reporting the national median household income at $77,719.

“A driver who had an accident last year may have seen a steeper rate increase at renewal, while someone who moved to a new ZIP code or reduced their mileage may have seen a rate decrease,” Bankrate said in a recent report. “The true cost of car insurance is calculated by dividing the average annual full coverage car insurance premium by the median annual income for each state and MSA.”

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