Compared to the previous year, its 2021 study says more people admitted to driving after drinking alcohol or ingesting cannabis. More drivers also confessed to speeding, running red lights, and driving while very sleepy.
Meredith Mitts, from the AAA Auto Club Group, says after the height of the pandemic, most traffic patterns returned to normal.
But risky driving continued, and the number of traffic fatalities rose in the US. Part of the reason, she says, is people felt the need for freedom.
In the three years before this study, Mitts says dangerous driving behavior declined. But now, the pandemic is over. And very simple steps will save lives, such as slowing down, only drive when well-rested, and designating a sober driver.
Most alarming is a 23% jump in drivers who got behind the wheel after drinking too much.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in 2021, nearly 43,000 people died in vehicle traffic crashes. That’s a 10% jump from 2020.
