For the past two years, COVID-19 has altered our way of life.
It has also had an impact on the number of individuals killed in automobile accidents each year. The rising number of deaths and cases from the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted several countries and municipal governments in the United States to impose travel restrictions on their residents in order to halt the virus’s spread. It has also led to a significant reduction in traffic volumes and, in general, a lower risk of automobile accidents.
Fewer automobiles on the road would, in an ideal world, result in fewer car accidents. However, this is not the case. According to early data from the National Safety Council (NSC), there was an increase in mortality during the lockdown period in comparison to prior years. In 2020, a year when people drove less owing to the epidemic, 42,060 individuals perished. This is 8% higher than in 2019, despite a 13% drop in vehicle kilometers traveled.
The NSC reported a 16 percent rise in automobile deaths in the first six months of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020, making it one of the largest percentage increases in fatal car accidents by year.
According to researchers, the increase in fatal automobile collisions in 2020 is due to decreased traffic congestion, which encouraged some people to drive carelessly.
The Increase in Traffic Accidents in the United States
Before COVID-19, the likelihood of dying in an automobile accident was decreasing. Prior to the epidemic, traffic safety in the United States was increasing. This is due to seat belt rules being enforced, the advent of airbags, enhanced braking and stability control, and other safety features.
Then the epidemic struck, throwing life into disarray. According to most St. Petersburg auto body repair professionals, it also impacted the way people drove and had an impact on several aspects, such as:
- Intoxication
Most people have experienced heightened worry and psychological stress as a result of the epidemic. When you include anxieties about infection or virus exposure, as well as travel and human contact, it’s easy for some people to resort to unhealthy coping techniques like alcohol intake.
During the COVID-19 epidemic, greater alcohol and drug usage were also connected to more leisure time. This might result in impaired driving, stunt driving, and overspeeding, all of which could result in deadly vehicle accidents.
- Use of Drugs
The pandemic, like alcohol usage, has boosted drug use to deal with the uncertainty and isolation caused by travel restrictions and lockdowns.
According to federal experts, the number of drivers who tested positive for opioids in automobile accidents where drivers were badly injured or died has nearly quadrupled since the outbreak began. Marijuana usage has also climbed dramatically.
- Overconfidence in the Driver
According to recent studies, the epidemic has made American drivers more dangerous after decades of safety advances, increasing their proclivity to speed, drink, use drugs, and leave their seat belts unbuckled. According to experts, this conduct may imply emotions of loneliness, isolation, and sadness.
The quarantine reduced the number of automobiles on the road, almost completely eliminating traffic congestion. Wide, empty highways engineered for maximum speed, along with other circumstances such as alcohol, might encourage certain individuals to drive at dangerous speeds.
What Steps Can Be Taken?
The ultimate aim of any automobile safety plan is to minimize highway speeding. This can be accomplished by modifying the physical architecture of the road using traffic-calming measures that favor slower driving, such as narrower lanes and speed bumps, or by decreasing the legal speed limit.
Other ways for reducing automobile accidents include:
The Road Diet
A “road diet” is a potential strategy for reducing automobile accidents on roads in sparsely populated areas. Road diets enhance road complexity by eliminating traffic lanes, providing center turn lanes to make left turns simpler, and adding bike lanes and shoulders, which are lacking on most rural roads. All while causing traffic congestion.
Roundabouts
Roundabouts are an excellent way to save lives and reduce the likelihood of dying in an automobile accident in rural America. Because of their high speeds and the absence of physical barriers between lanes, these localities have significant vehicle accident mortality rates. The installation of medians and center turn lanes can significantly reduce the number of fatalities.
Key Takeaway
COVID-19 has had a huge impact on our way of life, as seen by the considerable increase in road accidents in the United States. According to much research, the pandemic has impacted various elements in driving and accidents, including drunkenness, drug usage, and driver confidence.
Despite the overwhelming numbers and statistics of automobile accidents, there are steps that may be taken to improve road safety. Traffic-calming measures on road layouts, such as road diets and roundabouts, are among them.
Car accidents are unfortunate, but there are patterns in their causes. Identifying these and adding reinforced traffic safety measures are key to preventing them altogether.