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Highway fatalities continue to be high despite reduced pandemic traffic

Traffic has been lower due to the pandemic, but deaths on highways continue to rise yearly. 

The state’s highways are seeing a high number of fatalities. According to Office of Highway Safety Director Alberto Gutier, there have been more than 1,070 deaths this year alone. 

That’s nearly 100 than in 2019 despite less traffic on the road due to the pandemic. 

While Gutier says the number of impaired drives has dropped, he attributes the rise to distracted drivers. 

Greg Hahne started as a news intern at KJZZ in 2020 and returned as a field correspondent in 2021. He learned his love for radio by joining Arizona State University's Blaze Radio, where he worked on the production team.