COVID-19 was not the only killer accounting for an increase in Arizona deaths in 2021: A surge in drunken driving deaths on the state’s highways that year was among the highest in the nation. Read more» 
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After decades of steady improvement, the death rate of America’s children and teens shot up between 2019 and 2021 — and gun-related deaths represented the largest share of the increase — by far. Read more»
As states have seen traffic fatalities and pedestrian deaths climb in recent years, many jurisdictions are reconsidering right turns on red, and safety advocates transportation planners to reconsider a custom so ingrained that few drivers remember a time when it wasn't allowed. Read more»
Arizona traffic fatalities hit their highest level in 15 years in 2021, when the state saw a 6.5% increase in highway deaths that experts blame in part on bad driving habits made worse during the pandemic. Read more»
Arizona traffic deaths rose 18.4% in the first nine months of 2021 compared to the year before, far outpacing the national 12% increase in the same period, according to the latest numbers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Read more»
Arizona once again ranked near the bottom of states on a national report card on highway safety laws, earning a “danger” rating as a state with just five of 16 recommended laws and no primary enforcement for seat belts. Read more»
The federal government has announced that it is giving nearly $260 million in grants to states to beef up their highway safety - funding which will comes from the recently enacted bipartisan infrastructure law and be used to support a broad range of traffic safety priorities. Read more»
COVID-19 has sparked a surge in cycling, as Americans have sought alternatives to crowded gyms, buses and trains, and there also has been an uptick in distracted drivers and speeding over the past 18 months, raising the risks for cyclists on the road. Read more»
Arizona’s interstate highways are in generally good shape, but they experienced the highest rate of fatalities in the nation in 2018, according to a national report released Tuesday. Read more» 1
Arizona enacted a ban on texting while driving last year, after 10 years of trying, but it still wasn’t enough to pull the state from the bottom of a national report card on traffic safety laws.
Read more»
Motor vehicle crashes, injuries and fatalities continued their steady six-year rise in Arizona in 2016, according to the most recent data from the state’s Department of Transportation. Read more»
Bills to restrict distracted driving, ranging from attempts to outlaw texting to banning cellphone use entirely, have failed repeatedly at the Arizona State Legislature in recent years. Read more»
Arizona got a failing grade Wednesday from a national highway safety group that said the state has adopted fewer than five of the 15 laws the group considers basic to traffic safety. Read more» 2
