A new report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety finds drivers admit to dangerous behaviors behind the wheel such as speeding and texting or talking on a handheld cell phone while driving.
Some encouraging findings are that other unsafe driving behaviors, including red-light running, drowsy driving, and driving impaired on cannabis or alcohol, have declined in the past three years.
This survey is done every year by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. For more than a decade, the annual Traffic Safety Culture Index looks at driver behaviors and attitudes. This year’s study provides insights in public perceptions, attitudes toward and engagement in unsafe driving behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to pre-pandemic years. The pandemic has had a huge impact on people’s driving and travel.
As more Americans return to normal routines and daily commutes, AAA encourages everyone to practice safe driving behaviors.
“Based on self-reported driving behaviors from our annual survey of traffic safety culture, it is encouraging to see more drivers recognize the danger of certain activities behind the wheel,” said Dr. David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “However, the ultimate goal is to see the majority of drivers form safe driving habits and practice them.”
“There’s still a big disconnect in driver attitudes and behaviors. Drivers know the dangers posed by distracted, aggressive and impaired driving, and say their loved ones would disapprove of these behaviors. But many drivers admit to doing at least one of these in the past 30 days,” says Marie Dodds, public affairs director for AAA Oregon/Idaho.
While fewer Americans took to the roads in 2020 due to the pandemic, those who did appeared to take greater risks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that an estimated 38,680 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes—an increase of 7.2% and the largest number of fatalities since 2007. And, the numbers for 2021 look even worse, as NHTSA estimates 8,730 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the first three months of the year.
In Oregon, 507 people died in crashes in 2020, according to preliminary data from the Oregon Crash Analysis & Reporting Unit, compared to 494 people killed in 2019. This is an increase of nearly 3%. It’s also the largest numbers of fatalities since 2003 when there were 512.
For 2021, the year-to-date fatalities as of October 26 are 453, compared to 502 for the same period last year.
