With so many people under lockdown in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you’d think there would be fewer car accidents – and fewer car accident injuries and deaths. After all, with so many people staying home, there should be fewer drivers on the roads and fewer opportunities for a car crash.
As it turns out, that’s not quite what happened in 2020. A new report from the group Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety examines traffic accident patterns from 2020. The report’s findings are disturbing.
Recent Highway Safety Statistics Cause Concern
The report in question is the 18th edition of the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety’s annual Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws. Instead of the expected decrease in traffic fatality rates, the group found traffic fatalities increased in 2020
As states put their populations on lockdown, “roads emptied, and drivers put the pedal to the metal at high speeds,” said Catherine Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. “Other risky behaviors like driver impairment and distraction also rose. And, seat belts – often the difference between life and death when a crash happens – were not worn. While it will take time for the full data to be released, early indications reflect a substantial uptick in the fatality rate.”
Early traffic data from the highway safety report 2020 supports the group’s claims. The National Safety Council (NSC) reports overall traffic fatalities rose to 42,060 in 2020, an 8 percent increase from 2019. The NSC also said that 4.8 million people were injured in traffic crashes in 2020, an increase of around 400,000 people compared with the group’s 2019 figures.
How COVID Has Impacted Traffic Accidents
The primary effect of the pandemic on traffic accidents appears to be an increase in risky driving. With fewer people on the roads, drivers seemed to feel like they could be less careful because there was less chance of a crash.
Drivers were less likely to wear their seatbelts, significantly increasing their chance of sustaining a severe injury in a crash. They were more likely to engage in dangerous behavior like drinking and driving or driving after using drugs.
Though fewer drivers were on the road, the increased number of accidents meant the fatality rate surged by 24 percent from 2019 to 2020 – the largest single-year increase since 1924.
Read more about past Car Accidents and statistics.
Potential Ways to Reverse the Trends
The Advocates for Highway for Highway and Auto Safety report includes several recommendations to make roads safer for everyone going forward. These recommendations include:
- Pass laws that make not wearing a seatbelt a primary offense for both drivers and passengers.
- Lowe the legal limit for impaired driving from 0.08 percent (the current level in most states) to 0.05 percent. Currently, only Utah sets the legal limit for drunk driving at 0.05 percent.
- Require all motorcycle riders and passengers to wear helmets, regardless of age.
- Adopt stricter laws on distracted driving.
Contact a Car Accident Attorney Today for Help
Have you been injured in a car accident in Virginia? Call the Virginia Beach car accident lawyers at Ruloff, Swain, Haddad, Morecock, Talbert & Woodward, P.C. today to get a free initial consultation. You can also fill out the form on our contact page.