People stuck at home due to restrictions and many workplaces either being shut down or switching to remote work led to a lot less traffic on the roads during the pandemic. You might think less traffic would automatically mean less fatal car accidents, but unfortunately it’s the opposite.
Because there were so few vehicles on the road during the pandemic, drivers got accustomed to being more free on the open road and driving faster than they should or ignoring speed limits altogether. This pattern leads to even more deadly high speed car accidents, including ones that injure or kill pedestrians.
Why People Didn’t Speed as Much Before the Pandemic
Drivers are always pushing the speed limits whenever they get the chance, but congested roads and bumper to bumper traffic doesn’t allow for easy speeding. With other cars around, drivers are more likely to keep with the flow of traffic and obey the posted speed limits or even drive more cautiously.
Many roads are simply not designed for people to safely drive on them at high speeds. When designing highways or roads that are expected to be heavily traveled, the lower speeds are taken into consideration and affect the overall design and safety of the roads.
Dangerous designs plus high rates of speed increased the amount of fatal car crashes in 2021. Combined with more people looking to get out of the house and either walking or cycling near roads or intersections, the pandemic created one of the most dangerous and deadly years for traffic related deaths in history.
How High are the Traffic Related Fatalities
Across the country, there is an increase in fatal car accidents related to poor driving habits people adopted during the pandemic. These patterns don’t just include speeding. With fewer cars on the road, drivers start to think they don’t need to pay as much attention. Taking your focus off the road even for a couple seconds can lead to a dangerous crash.
Texting, playing with the radio, eating, and even reading while driving can become a habit when you think you don’t need to pay attention to what you’re doing. It’s not just other drivers you have to watch out for either. In 2021, in the San Jose Bay Area alone 60 people were killed in vehicle accidents, including 23 pedestrians, making it the worst year for fatal car accidents in decades.
In fact, walking near roads and highways in the Bay Area is one of the most dangerous forms of getting from place to place. Pedestrian deaths made up 37% of traffic related deaths in the Bay area in 2021, causing many families to seek the help of a fatal car accident attorney to understand their rights and get the compensation they deserve.
How to Remedy the Situation
The Bay Area has set out to decrease fatal car accidents through public education and investments in infrastructure, such as redesigning streets and crosswalks. You can do your part by always obeying traffic laws, regardless of the amount of vehicles on the road. Focus on driving and avoid distractions so you can do your part to decrease fatal car accidents in 2022.