A new report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety finds dangerous driving behaviors such as 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%.
This is a reversal in the steady declines in these dangerous driving behaviors in the three years from 2018 through 2020.
Here are the fact sheet and complete report. B-roll video can be found here:
https://newsroom.aaa.com/asset/red-light-running-b-roll-clip-3/
https://newsroom.aaa.com/asset/red-light-running-b-roll-clip-2/
https://newsroom.aaa.com/asset/speed-limit-signs-broll/
https://newsroom.aaa.com/asset/police-stop-with-teen-driver/
This survey is done every year by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. For more than a decade, the annual Traffic Safety Culture Index (TSCI) looks at driver behaviors and attitudes.
“The reversal in the frequency of U.S. drivers engaging in risky driving behavior is disturbing,” said Dr. David Yang, Executive Director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “We must be aware of the serious consequences of dangerous driving behaviors and change course.”
“This study shows a big disconnect between driver attitudes and behaviors. Drivers know behaviors such as speeding or driving impaired are dangerous and that their loved ones would disapprove. But many drivers still admit to engaging in risky behaviors in the past 30 days,” says Marie Dodds, public affairs director for AAA Oregon/Idaho.
The proportion of people who reported having engaged in the following unsafe driving behaviors at least once in the past 30 days before the survey
| Unsafe Driving Behavior | 2018
(%) |
2019
(%) |
2020
(%) |
2021
(%) |
Change from 2020 to 2021 (%) |
| Driven 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway | 48.9 | 48.2 | 45.1 | 50.7 | +12.4 |
| Driven while holding and talking on a cell phone | 52.1 | 43.2 | 37.2 | 37.4 | +0.5 |
| Driven while reading a text or email on a cell phone | 41.3 | 38.6 | 33.9 | 36.2 | +6.8 |
| Driven through a red light | 31.4 | 31.1 | 25.6 | 28.2 | +10.1 |
| Driven aggressively by switching lanes quickly or very close behind another car | 24.8 | 26.5 | 21.3 | 22.9 | +7.5 |
| Driven when so tired it was hard to keep eyes open | 27.0 | 23.6 | 17.3 | 18.8 | +8.7 |
| Driven when you had enough alcohol that you thought you were over the legal limit | 10.9 | 9.8 | 5.9 | 7.3 | +23.7 |
| Driven within an hour of consuming cannabis | 6.6 | 6.5 | 4.4 | 5.0 | +13.6 |
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. For example:
- Texting While Driving –
- 92% think it’s very or extremely dangerous
- 96% think someone important to them would disapprove
- 26% admitted 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% admitted to doing it in the last 30 days
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 avoid dangerous driving habits.
In Oregon, 599 people died in crashes in 2021, according to data from the Oregon Crash Analysis & Reporting Unit, compared to 507 people in 2020. This is an increase of 18% and the largest number since 2003 when 512 people lost their lives in crashes. Find more information at the ODOT Crash Statistics & Reports website.
For 2022, the Oregon year-to-date fatalities as of November 28 are 512 compared to 543 for the same period last year. This is a decrease of 5.7%.
