A new triple A report shows dangerous driving is on the rise—with increases in speeding, running red-lights, and impaired driving.
This comes after a three-year decline in unsafe driving behaviors, according to triple A. One of the biggest increases was in drivers who say they had enough alcohol to know they were over the legal limit. From 2020 to 2021, that percentage increased almost 24 percent.
Adrienne Woodland is a spokeswoman for triple A, Michigan. She says traffic patterns have largely normalized since the start of the pandemic, yet traffic fatalities are at their highest level in nearly two decades.
“The reversal in the frequency of U.S drivers engaging in risky driving behavior is quite disturbing, and while drivers acknowledge that certain activities like speeding and driving impaired are not safe many still engage in these activities anyways and this reckless attitude can be life-altering" Said Woodland.
Woodland says with the holiday season comes an increase in drivers on the roads visiting family, and a potential increase in impaired and unsafe driving. She says motorists can reverse the trend by slowing down, avoiding distractions and never driving impaired.