The study, conducted in fall of 2020, found an estimated 4% of drivers in the United States reported they increased their driving during the pandemic. Those drivers tended to be younger and mostly male, AAA said.
"Our research finds that higher-risk motorists accounted for a greater share of drivers during the pandemic than before it," Dr. David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, said in a release."Safety-minded individuals drove less, while many who increased their driving tended to engage in riskier behaviors behind the wheel."
Despite the decrease in traffic, approximately 13% more people died on U.S. roads in the second half of 2020 compared to the same time the year prior, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration .