The article is heavy on opinions and anecdotes, but some data can be found toward the mid-bottom: > In one of the clearest indications of rising recklessness,

The article is heavy on opinions and anecdotes, but some data can be found toward the mid-bottom: > In one of the clearest indications of rising recklessness, fatal accidents involving just one vehicle also rose disproportionally. > The data also show an outsized increase in deadly accidents involving speeding, illegal substances or a failure to wear a seatbelt. > Since the start of the pandemic, a larger share of accident victims — including those who survived — have been ejected from their vehicles, typically because they were not wearing seatbelts. > Making the roads even more dangerous is rising drug and alcohol use. In one survey, more than 7% of adults said they were more likely to drive while impaired than they were before the pandemic. > Federal researchers who looked at accidents in which drivers were killed or seriously injured found that the proportion who tested positive for opioids nearly doubled after the pandemic began. Marijuana use also rose considerably. > Finally, more drivers are distracted. Researchers used GPS and other data to determine that drivers used their phones more frequently after the pandemic began, and that the problem only worsened over time. So: More drugs, less seatbelt wearing, higher speeds, and more distractions.