Almost nine of every ten U-S drivers admit to committing at least one risky behavior behind-the-wheel in the past month. That's according to a survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety -- which cites a "culture of indifference" as too many motorists drive while distracted by cell phones or texting, speeding in neighborhoods, driving while impaired, running red lights, and not wearing seat-belts.
Nick Jarmusz from Wisconsin AAA says the findings are no surprise, as traffic deaths in the Badger State rose by 13-percent last year compared to 2014...
"....that can range from distracted driving, texting, talking on a phone to speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, being drowsy or possibly impaired behind the wheel..."
Jarmusz says speeding is a critical factor in many deaths and injuries. He says Wisconsin recently raised speed limits on some major highways, but he says that top speed is often not what people are driving...
"....we have to be conscious of that when we raise speed limits. You're going to be raising the speed that people are driving. If they were going 70 already they're not likely to say, 'oh, great the limit is 70, I'm going to stay there'. They're likely to push it even higher...."
Jarmusz says crashes are not inevitable, and everyone has the ability to make the roads safer for all.
Wisconsin is among the states that banned texting-while-driving years ago -- but the AAA survey of 24-hundred motorists shows that 80-percent believe distracted driving is a bigger problem now than in 2013.
The city of Rhinelander has a specific ordinance banning texting while driving.
556 people died on Wisconsin roads last year, up 13 percent from the previous year. The study found 1 in 3 people know someone who has been hurt or killed in a crash.
