Risky behavior behind the wheel is up during the pandemic.
One-third of all roadway deaths are speed-related. Impaired driving and accidents with ejection are also up — meaning drivers and passengers aren't wearing their seatbelts.
"That just defies logic to me," said Pam Fischer of the Governors Highway Safety Association. "You know, when you talk to people — 'Oh yeah. everybody wears seatbelts.' But when we look at the fatalities that are happening on our roadways, we know that half of the people who die in motor vehicle crashes are not properly restrained."
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) met last week. They say they have to change how they get people to slow down while on the road.
"We can't put officers on every road, and we have to leverage technologies and resources that are going to help us to really get folks to change their behavior," Fischer said. "There's a very strong message being sent — you need to slow down. We're going to find you. We will stop you."
Impaired driving is also up, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The GHSA and Lyft just awarded five states — California, Illinois, Maine, Oregon and Washington — nearly $100,000 in grant funds to help prevent impaired driving over the holiday season.