TAMPA, Fla — A new AAA report found the number of people engaging in unsafe driving habits has plummeted over the past three years.
It's the sort of dangerous and sometimes deadly behavior that puts all of us at risk — but there’s also some unsettling news behind those numbers.
“We are in a decline in trend. We’re starting to see the numbers go down,” AAA Spokesperson Michele Harris said. She adds that there were some mixed messages in their latest survey, which asks drivers about their behind-the-wheel behavior.
“While consumers — or while motorists may say it’s not acceptable to drive distracted or speed, we’re seeing people still do it anyway,” she said.
AAA’s survey measures the number of drivers who admit to engaging in unsafe driving behavior at least once in the past 30 days.
Last year, in key categories, like speeding, cell phone use, red-light running and driving under the influence they saw huge declines. In some cases, down 25 to 45 percent.
But before you go chalking these numbers up to the pandemic and far fewer people on the roads, AAA says it’s not all good news.
Despite lighter traffic volume during the pandemic, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found the number of fatal crashes increased 7.2 percent to the highest level of fatalities since 2007.
So far, this year things are looking even worse with 8,730 fatalities in the first three months of 2021.
“And it’s not getting any better,” Harris said. “We’re still seeing that high number of fatalities.”
AAA says the spike in fatalities suggests other risky behaviors during the same time frame, with wide-open roads possibly leading to more speeding and aggressive driving.
Their message?
“If we kind of get behind the wheel with the mentality of I want to keep myself safe, but I want to keep other people safe,” said Harris, “I think hopefully we will start to see safer driving and fewer fatalities.”