The Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) said that teen speed-related crashes are down nine percent for federal fiscal year 2021 to 2022. This reduction includes teen-involved crashes and fatalities. There was a larger reduction in speed-related crashes involving teenagers compared to other drivers.
According to THSO, this information was collected through an annual roadside observational survey conducted by the University of Tennessee’s Center for Transformation Research.
THSO director Buddy Lewis said this is a result of campaigns such as Rule the Road, Slow Down Tennessee, Operation Southern Slow Down, and more. THSO also received a $20,500 grant from the Governor’s Highway Safety Association and Ford Driving Skills For Life.
This information was collected at 190 pre-identified roadway locations throughout Tennessee, and researchers observed almost 26,000 “vehicle occupants.”
The survey also provided information on seat belt usage for the state of Tennessee.
Shelby County’s seat belt usage rate increased by 10.7 percent (88.8 percent). The state of Tennessee’s usage rate was 90.49 percent, which is approximately a 0.4 percent increase compared to 2021 (90.12). Occupants in vans had the highest usage rate in Shelby County (93.48 percent), while those in pickup trucks had the lowest (75.36 percent).
In terms of the state of Tennessee, THSO said that 96 percent of occupants used seat belts in sport utility vehicles. These occupants had the highest belt usage rate, with pickup trucks having the lowest (80.6 percent.)
THSO also said that female occupants have a higher usage rate than males, and that front-seat passengers had a higher rate than drivers.
While teen speed-related crashes are down, and seat belt usage is up, information from The Auto Club Group (AAA) said that there has been a national increase in unsafe driving behaviors, from 2020 to 2021. In the past three years, these numbers were steadily declining.
AAA said that a study from its Foundation for Traffic Safety found that this rise in behavior was a result of speeding, red-light running, drowsy driving, and driving impaired due to cannabis.
The largest increase was in drivers who said that they operated their vehicle after drinking over the legal limit.
There has also been a 10.5 percent increase in traffic deaths from 2020 (38,824) to 2021 (42,915). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that actions such as speeding, alcohol, impairment, and failure to use seatbelts “account for a considerable proportion of the increased fatalities.”