Arizona saw 1,294 traffic fatalities in 2022, an increase of 8.6% when compared to 2021, according to a study released by the Arizona Department of Transportation.
The study showed the lion’s share of deaths and injuries were due to speeding. Law enforcement recorded the second-highest numbers of traffic deaths in 2022 after 2006, a year in which 1,301 people died, according to the study.
The Motor Vehicle Crash Facts report is released annually and is an analysis of crash reports provided by law enforcement agencies across the state, according to ADOT.
Pima County saw more than 9,800 crashes in 2022, 166 of which were fatal. Maricopa County, where Phoenix is located, saw nearly 86,000 crashes. More than 600 of those crashes were fatal, the report said.
Speed was the reason behind 426 fatalities and 20,069 injuries in 2022, the report said.
There were 302 pedestrian deaths and 48 bicycle deaths in the same year, both increased numbers from the year prior.
Alcohol-related vehicle deaths saw a decline, dropping from 253 deaths in 2021 to 223 in 2022, the report said.