A new AAA study indicates a “troubling” increase in unsafe driving behaviors from 2020 to 2021.
According to the report, which includes survey data from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, there has been an increase in risky behaviors such as speeding, running red lights, drowsy driving, and driving while impaired by cannabis or alcohol.
The AAA survey data shows the number of drivers admitting to running a red light has increased by more than 10% since 2020. Analysts also discovered a 12% increase in drivers admitting to driving within an hour of consuming cannabis, as well as a nearly 24% increase in drivers admitting to driving when they felt they were too drunk to drive.
Unsurprisingly, traffic fatalities increased by 10.5% between 2020 and 2021, with an estimated 42,915 people killed in road accidents last year, up from 38,824 in 2020, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
According to AAA, the increase comes after three years of steady declines.
“The reversal in the frequency of U.S. drivers engaging in risky driving behavior is troubling,” said Dr. David Yang, Executive Director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, in a press release accompanying the AAA’s Traffic Safety Culture Index results. “While drivers recognize that certain activities behind the wheel, such as speeding and driving while intoxicated, are unsafe, many continue to engage in these activities.”
The study also included information about the drivers and their perceptions of the reactions to their own behavior. The majority believed that aggressive driving, texting, or being under the influence of cannabis or alcohol were dangerous and would be socially unacceptable.
“The privilege of driving comes with great responsibility, which some motorists do not take seriously,” said Jake Nelson, AAA’s director of traffic safety advocacy and research, in a statement included with the press release on Thursday.
The AAA 2021 Traffic Safety Culture Index gathered information from 2,657 drivers from across the country who self-reported their own behavior through an online survey.