This browser does not support the Video element.
Dangerous driving behaviors are on the rise
Aaron Mesmer reports
TAMPA, Fla. - Dangerous driving behaviors are on the rise for the first time in three years, according to a study released this week by AAA.
According to the report, unsafe driving behaviors increased in 2021, following three straight years of declines. The dangerous behaviors included speeding, red-light running and distracted or impaired driving.
"There's a chance that some people hadn't been driving quite as much (during the COVID-19 pandemic) and now they're back out on the roads and have picked up some bad habits," said Mark Jenkins, a spokesperson for AAA Florida. "I think that this is just a wakeup call for drivers to remember that being out on the road can be very dangerous, especially if you're not paying attention or if you're engaging in risky behavior."
Jenkins said perhaps the most alarming trend is that the rise in risky driving behaviors can be linked to a rise in traffic fatalities.
Cars drive along Florida highway.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that nearly 43,000 people were killed in crashes in 2021, an increase of more than 10 percent from 2020. That's the highest number of fatalities in nearly two decades.
READ: ‘Living the American dream’: Truckers honored in Tampa as industry seeks more drivers
"We actually saw traffic fatalities increase every single year, 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic and that's despite fewer people being out on the roadways," said Jenkins.
The AAA report coincides with a separate study from the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, which determined Florida is among the states with the fewest laws at protecting drivers and passengers, making driving conditions here even more dangerous.