Going In Reverse: Dangerous Driving Behaviors on the Rise

A new report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety finds unsafe driving behaviors, including speeding, red-light running, drowsy driving, and driving impaired on cannabis or alcohol, rose from 2020 to 2021. The most alarming increase was among drivers admitting to getting behind the wheel after drinking enough that they felt they were over the legal limit – an increase of nearly 24%.  According to new survey data in the AAA Foundation’s annual Traffic Safety Culture Index, this is a reversal in the steady declines in these dangerous driving behaviors in the three years from 2018 through 2020.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, traffic fatalities have risen. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated 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, dangerous driving behaviors such as speeding, alcohol impairment, and non-use of seatbelts account for a considerable proportion of the increased fatalities. Accordingly, AAA urges drivers to keep everyone safe on the roads and warns motorists against falling back into dangerous driving habits.

“The increase in the number of U.S. drivers engaging in risky driving behavior is troubling,” said Morgan Dean, public and government affairs manager at AAA Mid-Atlantic.  “While drivers consistently acknowledge that certain risky behaviors behind the wheel, such as speeding and driving impaired, are not safe, many still engage in these activities anyway.”

 

As in previous years, drivers reported too often engaging in risky behaviors that they know are dangerous and would meet with disapproval from friends or family.

• Texting While Driving
  • 92% think it’s very or extremely dangerous
  • 96% think someone important to them would disapprove
  • 26% admit to doing it in the last 30 days
• Aggressive Driving
  • 88% think it’s very or extremely dangerous
  • 96% think someone important to them would disapprove
  • 23% admit to doing it in the last 30 days
• Impaired Driving
  • 94% believe driving after drinking enough alcohol (to the point one considers they might be over the legal limit) to be very or extremely dangerous
  • 7% admit to engaging in this behavior in the past 30 days
  • 65% of drivers feel driving, within an hour, of using marijuana is very or extremely dangerous

  • 93% believe people important to them would disapprove of the behavior

AAA’s Traffic Safety Culture Index illustrates a clear disconnect when it comes to impaired driving and the perception that marijuana use and driving is less dangerous than drinking alcohol and getting behind the wheel. “We must be aware of the serious consequences of all dangerous driving behaviors and change course,” Dean added.

Virginia saw a sharp increase in traffic fatalities in 2021, reaching a 14 year high. There were 968 crash fatalities in the Commonwealth last year, up 14% from the 847 deaths in 2020. This year is on track to surpass 2021’s numbers. Through the end of November of this year, according to preliminary data from DMV, there have been 922 crash fatalities in Virginia, 31 more than the 891 recorded during that same time period in 2021.

AAA recommends these safety tips:

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