I think it’s all the automated safety systems that have been added to vehicles combined with all the addictive apps on phones that are making people less attentive. Too many seem to think they don’t need to pay as much attention anymore since the car will not only let them know if there’s a problem (forgetting that there’s a very limited set of potential problems it can recognize), but also in some cases even address it long enough for them to get back into control (not thinking of the fact it’ll likely take them a few seconds to reacquaint themselves with their surroundings enough to know what’s going on, and by that time too much damage can happen).

IMHO these halfway automated systems are a mixed bag because they take away only some of the thought and attention required to drive well, leaving people less focused on the task so their minds naturally start to get more distracted. Humans don’t multitask very well, however, and most don’t recognize when they’re not balancing their attention to multiple things properly - which is when accidents inevitably happen.

One of my favorite clues to this type of driver is driving in the dark with just the daytime running lights on. Most vehicles in America only have their headlights on in that mode (supposedly in a more dim level, but lately LED headlights have made that less obvious). So you can come up behind these people and not see them until you’re practically up their derriere due to the lack of lights. When I try to communicate to them about their lights via honking, flashing mine, and turning mine off then back on, I’d say at least 75% don’t get it, and I strongly suspect it’s because they’re so distracted they’re not in a frame of mind to think about what kind of issue of theirs might be causing me to do that.

Driving as an experienced, responsible driver is frustrating as fuck nowadays.