Nebraska Safety Council raises awareness after record high fatalities in 2022

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) -As 2023 starts, the Nebraska Safety Council hopes to cut back on deadly crashes across the state.

According to the NDOT Highway Safety Office, in 2022 there was a spike in crashes. In total, 254 people were killed on Nebraskan roads. That’s 33 more than in 2021 and a 15-year high.

Drunk driving, cell phone usage and not wearing a seatbelt were all blamed for the rise. On Friday, the Safety Council reminded Nebraskans about the dangers of all of those.

“The numbers are rising,” said John Lefler Jr., executive director at the Nebraska Safety Council. “And it’s one of those things where getting back to the basics, really simplifying the playbook on when people are in the cars, using your seatbelt properly using it all the time, putting the phone away when you’re in the car.”

At Gateway Mall, people were able to try a driving simulator and test out goggles to show just how hard it is to walk in a straight line when impaired. The Nebraska Safety Council said events like this are new this year, and will be held on the first Friday of every month at the mall.

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