You probably already know to avoid drivers who pay more attention to their phone than the road. But according to a survey conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, there’s more reason than ever to stay far away from device-addicted drivers.

A report titled "Distracted and Risk-Prone Drivers" that's part of the AAA Foundation’s 2012 Traffic Safety Culture Index found that drivers who use mobile phones behind the wheel are more likely to practice other dangerous behaviors, including speeding and drowsy driving.

Drivers who said they “fairly often or regularly” used their phones within the past month also acknowledged that they engaged in additional hazardous activities. According to the AAA survey, 65 percent also reported speeding, 44 percent reported driving while drowsy, 53 percent reported sending a text or email, and 29 percent also drove without a seatbelt.

"Very few drivers can actually multitask, but many think they can,” John Paul, manager of public affairs and traffic safety for AAA Southern New England, told MSN Autos. "Those who talk on a cellphone tend to believe they are better at multitasking than some other drivers."

But the motorists most likely to put others at risk think it's other people who are creating a problem. The survey discovered that 69 percent of licensed drivers reported talking on a phone while driving within the past month -- but that 89 percent thought other drivers on the phone were a threat to their safety.

“Ninety percent of respondents believe that distracted driving is a somewhat or much bigger problem today than it was three years ago, yet they themselves continue to engage in the same activities,” Peter Kissinger, president and CEO of the AAA Foundation, said in a statement.

While 95 percent of those surveyed agreed that texting or emailing while driving is dangerous, 25 percent admitted to having sent a text or email at least once in the past 30 days. An additional third said they had read a text or email while behind the wheel.

The problem is more prevalent among young people. Sixty-one percent of drivers between 16 and 24 years old acknowledged having read a text or email while driving in the past month, and roughly 25 percent of young drivers confessed to checking or updating social media while driving.

"This risky behavior can be found in other driving habits as well,” Paul said. “So it is not a surprise that drivers who talk on the phone would also engage in other risky behaviors, such as speeding or texting.  As motorists, our primary function is to just drive -- not talk on the phone, text, drive when tired or even be a good host with passengers in the car.”

Unsurprisingly, drivers who said they never use a phone behind the wheel were much less likely to engage in other unsafe actions. Of those who said they abstain from regularly using a phone, 31 percent reported speeding, 14 percent reported driving drowsy, 3 percent reported sending a text or email and 16 percent drove without a seatbelt.

The AAA Foundation data were collected as part of a nationwide “probability-based” survey of 3,896 U.S. residents 16 and older. The foundation said that the sample is representative of all U.S. households reachable by telephone or regular mail and that the questionnaire was made available in English and Spanish.

[Source: AAA via Edmunds]