NW Poll

Winter Driving

December 13, 2022 by PEMCO Insurance

According to the latest 2022 PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll, nearly half of Seattle and Portland residents believe themselves to be a more skillful driver than their neighbors. The poll finds that many drivers remain confident in their driving skills in winter conditions when roads are paved in snow and ice. Do you consider yourself a better driver than your peers? What about your ability to drive in the snow?

According to the poll data, 50% of Seattleites and 47% of Portlanders claim that they are a more skilled driver than their peers. This high confidence is even more common among men than women with 57% of Portland men claiming they’re a more skilled driver than others, while only 36% of women said the same.

In Seattle, men are even more confident in their driving ability with 65% claiming they’re a better driver than others, while only 36% of women answered the same. Across both Seattle and Portland, few (3%) admit that there’s room for improvement in their driving ability.

Though it seems that traffic in the Pacific Northwest slows to a grinding halt when winter brings snow and ice to the roads, nearly half (44%) of all respondents still boast their driving superiority in winter conditions. In Portland, 55% of men believe that they are more capable drivers in the snow than their peers, while only 35% of women claim the same. The gender disparity increases when looking at Seattle with 60% of men believing they are better drivers in winter conditions than their peers, while only 27% of women believe the same.

Here are the complete survey results:

When you compare your ability to drive skillfully, do you generally think that you are:

July 2022		September 2019
Seattle	Portland	Seattle	Portland
50	47	49	51	A more skillful driver than most
46	47	46	44	About the same in skill level
3	4	3	3	A less skillful driver than most other

When you compare your ability to drive skillfully, do you generally think that you are:

Seattle Metro		Portland Metro
Male	Female	Male	Female
65	36	57	36	A more skillful driver than most
34	57	40	54	About the same in skill level
1	6	2	6	A less skillful driver than most other

In the winter, when it’s snowing or there is snow and ice on the road, how comfortable do you feel driving in those conditions?

July 2022		September 2019
Seattle	Portland	Seattle	Portland
31	26	24	21	Very comfortable
32	32	31	32	Somewhat comfortable
23	24	26	28	Somewhat uncomfortable
13	17	18	19	Very uncomfortable

In the winter, when it’s snowing or there is snow and ice on the road, how comfortable do you feel driving in those conditions?

Seattle		Portland
Male	Female	Male	Female
40	21	37	15	Very comfortable
35	30	33	31	Somewhat comfortable
19	27	21	28	Somewhat uncomfortable
5	21	9	25	Very uncomfortable

How would you compare your ability to drive in the snow or ice? When it’s snowing or there is snow or ice on the road, do you think you are a:

July 2022		September 2019
Seattle	Portland	Seattle	Portland
43	45	42	40	More skillful driver than most others
39	32	40	38	About the same as other drivers
16	20	16	19	Less skillful driver than most others

How would you compare your ability to drive in the snow or ice? When it’s snowing or there is snow or ice on the road, do you think you are a:

Seattle		Portland
Male	Female	Male	Female
60	27	55	35	More skillful driver than most others
33	45	32	31	About the same as other drivers
6	26	10	31	Less skillful driver than most others

Why do you believe you’re a more skillful driver in snow or ice compared to most other drivers?

Seattle Metro	Portland Metro
72	76	I’ve spent time driving in snow and ice in other wintery regions
42	38	I am a more cautious driver and take fewer risks on the road
22	16	I drive a vehicle that is designed for driving safely in snow and ice
18	14	I enjoy skiing, snowboarding and/or other sports that require driving in snow and ice to access
15	11	I’ve taken driving lessons that taught me how to drive safely in snow and ice

On days when it’s snowing or there is snow and ice on the road and you need to leave your home, do you prefer to driver yourself, take a bus, carpool, take light rail, a train or streetcar, or do you prefer to use some other form of transportation?

July 2022		September 2019
Seattle	Portland	Seattle	Portland
69	65	63	61	Drive myself
10	11	18	16	Take the bus
8	9	4	8	Carpool
5	6	5	9	Light rail, train, or streetcar
6	7	6	4	Other

Seattle		Portland
Male	Female	Male	Female
77	62	71	57	Drive myself
13	7	10	13	Take the bus
4	13	5	13	Carpool
2	7	8	4	Light rail, train, or streetcar
4	9	4	11	Other

July 2022		September 2019
< 35	35 +	< 35	35 +
59	75	66	64	Drive myself
10	10	9	12	Take the bus
17	4	13	7	Carpool
6	4	5	7	Light rail, train, or streetcar
6	7	3	9	Other

About the PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll

PEMCO Mutual Insurance commissioned this independent survey, conducted by FBK Research of Seattle, that asked Washington and Oregon residents questions about driving habits and attitudes toward current Northwest issues. The sample size, 420 respondents in the Seattle Metro (King, Snohomish, Pierce Counties) region and 418 respondents in the Portland Metro (Multnomah, Marion, Clackamas, Washington Counties) region yields an accuracy of +/- 5.0% respectively at the 95% confidence level. In other words, if this study were conducted 100 times, in 95 instances the data will not vary by more than the associated error range.

Supplemental interviews were conducted with people living in the Seattle metro area, including King, Snohomish and Pierce counties, and those in the Portland metro area, including Clackamas, Marion, Multnomah and Washington counties. The sample size, 578 respondents in the Seattle area and 509 in the Portland area, yields an accuracy of +/- 4.2% and +/- 4.4% respectively at the 95% confidence level.

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