A mental health crisis and reduced police staffing contributed to increased impaired-driving fatalities during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The percentage of passenger-vehicle drivers killed in crashes with blood alcohol concentrations of 0.08% or higher rose from 28% in 2019 to 30% in 2020 and remained elevated through 2022.
IIHS researchers analyzed fatal crashes from 2018-22 and found that increases in self-reported depressive episodes and suicide plans, along with reductions in full-time law enforcement personnel, correlated with higher impaired-driver deaths.
“These results reinforce the need for a Safe System approach
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