PHOENIX — Thousands of people have died on Arizona roads since 2020, according to preliminary data from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety.
According to the state, 2,329 people have died in crashes in Arizona since 2020, of those, 427, or 18%, have been related to alcohol.
In addition to drinking and driving, experts have stressed the need to drive safer and avoid risky behaviors behind the wheel.
Some of the biggest problems, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, include impaired driving, speeding, not wearing a seat belt, distracted driving, and driving while sleepy.
In Phoenix, N-control Driving School teaches people how to survive driving on the roadways. Owner and instructor Steve Imhoff told ABC15 distracted driving is a huge problem in our state. He said texting while driving poses a huge risk.
"It is a problem," he said. "You're about 23 times more likely to get in an accident if you're texting and driving," Imhoff added.
Both alcohol and texting can slow down a driver's reaction time, according to the Transport Research Laboratory. One study showed that drinking to the legal limit causes someone's reaction time to go down by 12%. Additionally, texting and driving may reduce a driver's reaction time by 35%.
Imhoff said people should wait until it's safe to use their phones.
"If that phone rings, answer it later," he said.
"Nothing is worth more than your life or someone else's and that should be your first priority when you're driving a vehicle," Imhoff added.