Epidemic Plaguing America’s Roads Reaches Historic Levels
April 4, 2023
DALLAS – Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is calling for more aggressive and urgent action to address a worsening crisis on U.S. roads after today’s announcement that alcohol-related deaths increased by 14% for the second consecutive year. Drunk driving caused 13,384 deaths in 2021, or 31% of all traffic fatalities in 2021, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The announcement marks another historic increase in roadway deaths. Overall, 42,939 people died in traffic crashes in 2021 – up 10% over 2020 and the largest spike in the history of NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System that dates back to 1975. Alcohol- related deaths jumped to more than 13,000 for the first time since 2006. This follows a previous 14% rise in drunk driving deaths in 2021. “It’s shocking to learn that 37 people a day, or one person every 39 minutes, is killed in an alcohol-related crash and another 1,000 are injured,” said MADD CEO Stacey D. Stewart. “These are not just statistics. These are innocent people, broken families and devastated communities impacted by a crime that’s 100% preventable.” Impaired driving, speeding, distracted driving and not using seatbelts continue to be the leading causes of traffic deaths and injuries. An estimated 2.5 million people were injured in crashes in 2021, up 9% from 2020. The rising number of roadway deaths represents an epidemic that deserves immediate attention at the highest levels of government. MADD calls on the U.S. Department of Transportation to prioritize equitable, high-visibility law enforcement that focuses on hazardous driving behavior such as impaired driving, speeding and not using a seatbelt, and to expedite a rulemaking that will result in all new cars being equipped with impaired driving prevention technology beginning in 2026, as required in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by President Biden in November 2021. “We know there are proven solutions that will help lower the number of these tragedies now,” said MADD National President Tess Rowland. “Every person can do their part by never driving when their plans include alcohol or other drugs, and our nation’s leaders need to move this to the top of their priority list where it belongs.”
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