The Advocates' report examined basic auto-safety laws in each state – covering things such as seat belts, impaired driving and teen driving – and produced three-tiered rankings. Eight states plus the District of Columbia received the best ranking. Thirty-one states were in the middle level, indicating need for improvement. And 11 states scored worst, meaning they were lagging "dangerously behind" in adopting important safety laws.

In comparing these rankings with current political affiliation of governors, I found that all eight of the highest-ranked states have Democratic governors. Among the 11 worst ranked states, all have Republican governors.

This might not be scientific, but it's a vivid illustration of misguided liberty at work.

The two poorest performing states in terms of enacting highway safety laws to save lives are Wyoming and Missouri. Missouri earned a place at the bottom of the list not only because it has so few regulations but also by its decision to repeal a motorcycle helmet law, despite pleas from health and safety officials.

In the two years that the pandemic has altered life for Americans, reckless driving increased dramatically. Experts say it often stems from widespread feelings of isolation, depression, and despair. "We might decide: What does a seat belt or another beer matter, anyway, when we're in the middle of a pandemic?" Shannon Frattaroli, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University, told the Los Angeles Times.

But failure to pass adequate safety laws predates the pandemic; what's different now is that the laws are more desperately needed. Consider something as fundamental as proper protection for children under age 2, for whom the safest method of transport is in a rear-facing car seat.

Astoundingly, only 16 states and DC have laws requiring children to be protected this way. Published statistics indicate chances of an infant being injured when riding in a properly used car seat are reduced by 71%.

Why is that a political issue?

The Advocates' report says 30 states need better enforcement of adult seat belt regulations; 32 states lack an all-rider helmet law for motorcycles; 34 states must tighten infant transport regulations, and four states still have inadequate laws governing texting while driving.

Meanwhile, speed limits are creeping up, with eight states now allowing driving at 80 mph on some roads.

Legislators seem to fear backlash if they force drivers to spend more time behind the wheel by slowing down, though the safety benefits have been clearly established. Last year's bipartisan infrastructure bill will pay for a plan called the National Roadway Safety Strategy aimed at improving roads and designing safer cars.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg expressed concern about the growing number of road deaths, telling the Associated Press, "Somehow it has become over the years and decades as normal, sort of the cost of doing business. Even through a pandemic that led to considerably less driving, we continue to see more danger on our roads."

The U.S. has twice as many traffic-related deaths per capita as any other developed country. Roughly two decades ago, Belgium, Spain, France and the Czech Republic had rates comparable to the U.S. but have since cut them in half, Vox reported.

It can be argued that the rural nature of, say, Wyoming, requires that some laws, such as speed limits, be different than in more heavily populated states. But Wyoming, like the 10 other low-ranked states, has a long list of inadequate safety measures that have nothing whatsoever to do with lower population; in Wyoming's case, for example, the state lacks an open container law for alcohol that meets federal guidelines.

Highway safety, especially at a time of an unprecedented spike in fatalities, shouldn't be politicized. Roadblocking vital safety laws isn't liberty. It's just reckless.

(c) Peter Funt. This column originally appeared in USA Today.