Running red lights, speeding, drowsy driving and driving impaired. These are all risky driving behaviors and according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, they're on the rise. The Foundation says that admitted risky driving behavior, including driving impaired on cannabis or alcohol, rose from 2020 to 2021. The most alarming stat? A nearly 24% increase in drivers who admitted getting behind the wheel after drinking enough the felt they were over the legal limit.
The new AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study data also found it's latest data to be a reversal in what had been steady declines in these dangerous driving behaviors between 2018-2020.
The data isn't surprising given that the number of road fatalities has risen since the start of the pandemic. AAA cites the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) estimate that 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes last year, a 10.5% increase from the 38,824 fatalities in 2020. According to NHTSA, speeding, alcohol impairment, and lack of seatbelt use account for a considerable proportion of the increased fatalities.
“The reversal in the frequency of U.S. drivers engaging in risky driving behavior is disturbing. While drivers acknowledge that certain activities behind the wheel – like speeding and driving impaired, are not safe, many still engage in these activities anyway,” said Dr. David Yang, Executive Director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “We must be aware of the serious consequences of dangerous driving behaviors and change course.”
Here's a closer look at AAA's data. It shows the proportion of people who reported having engaged in the following unsafe driving behaviors at least once in the past 30 days before the survey
|
Unsafe Driving Behavior |
2018 (%) |
2019 (%) |
2020 (%) |
2021 (%) |
Change from 2020 to 2021 (%) |
|
Driven 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway |
48.9 |
48.2 |
45.1 |
50.7 |
+12.4 |
|
Driven while holding and talking on a cell phone |
52.1 |
43.2 |
37.2 |
37.4 |
+0.5 |
|
Driven while reading a text or email on a cell phone |
41.3 |
38.6 |
33.9 |
36.2 |
+6.8 |
|
Driven through a red light |
31.4 |
31.1 |
25.6 |
28.2 |
+10.1 |
|
Driven aggressively by switching lanes quickly or very close behind another car |
24.8 |
26.5 |
21.3 |
22.9 |
+7.5 |
|
Driven when so tired it was hard to keep eyes open |
27.0 |
23.6 |
17.3 |
18.8 |
+8.7 |
|
Driven when you had enough alcohol that you thought you were over the legal limit |
10.9 |
9.8 |
5.9 |
7.3 |
+23.7 |
|
Driven within an hour of consuming cannabis |
6.6 |
6.5 |
4.4 |
5.0 |
+13.6 |
“The privilege of driving comes with great responsibility, which some motorists are not taking seriously,” said Jake Nelson, AAA’s director of traffic safety advocacy and research. “Fortunately, we know that reinforcing safe behavior with someone we know can influence them to change, so on our next ride with a passenger, let’s show them how it’s done safely. Together we can move closer to zero traffic deaths.”
AAA recommends these safety tips: