Alabama traffic deaths increased to nearly 1,000 in 2022, a 6 percent rise from pre-pandemic 2019 blamed largely on drivers taking “increased risks,” a new report says.

Those risks include “distracted driving, failure to wear seat belts and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs,” the nonprofit traffic research organization TRIP said in a report released today at tripnet.org. Research also showed distraction by cell phones as another significant risk.

In Mobile County, there were 69 fatal crashes in 2022, according to data from the Alabama Critical Analysis Reporting Environment (CARE), and a total of 75 deaths. That number is on par with the number of fatal crashes in 2018, but significantly lower than 2019, when there were 78 fatal crashes in the county, killing 86 people.

Meanwhile, the number of pedestrians killed in crashes in Mobile County is increasing, the data shows. In 2022, 18 pedestrians were killed in crashes, out of 106 pedestrian-involved accidents. In the first five months of 2023, 11 pedestrians have been killed and there have been 47 pedestrian-involved accidents. In 2019, 15 pedestrians were killed out of 121 pedestrian-involved accidents.

In Baldwin County, there were 29 fatal crashes in 2022, the data shows, killing 32 people. That’s an increase of seven fatal crashes from 2021 but a decrease from 2019, when there were 39 fatal crashes and 48 deaths.