Nearly half of all traffic fatalities are caused by drunken drivers, according to National Highway Transportation Safety Administration data. The NHTSA, along with help from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, tells us that fully 80 percent of all traffic crashes are caused in part by distracted drivers, mostly those talking on cell phones. So why do more drivers encounter radar guns during the holidays than breathalyzers or unsafe driving citations?
If ever there is a time for increased enforcement, it would be during the holidays when parties are common and more people are tempted to get behind the wheel after drinking. Similarly, the roads are chock full of drivers on gift-buying missions and using cell phones to find out what size little Johnny wears now or if Aunt Melanie would like a new blue sweater. The latest data demonstrates that such drivers kill and maim far more people than speeders.
