THE WEEK, January 21, 2022, Volume 22 Issue 1062, admonishes the pandemic for having caused a great deal of the dramatic increase in speeding, reckless driving, and deadly crashes on America’s highways, city avenues, and even residential streets. The trusted magazine states these amazing and tragic facts: “In 2020, despite millions of workers staying home and traffic plummeting, there were an estimated 38,680 U.S. auto-related deaths – a 7 percent increase from 2019.” THE WEEK continues, “As traffic started to normalize last year, roadway deaths jumped 18 percent, marking the biggest six-month increase since the federal government began tracking fatal crashes in 1975.”
The question needs to be asked “Why so many crashes?” Could it be that as highways and roads became much emptier because of Covid-19, drivers found it easier to accelerate to lethal speeds? Safety practices used for decades are also being reversed now during this time period. For example: Seatbelt buckling seems to be used by fewer drivers and more individuals are driving while using their phones. DUIs have gone up tremendously with the soaring increase in drug overdoses and alcohol sales. The magazine continues, “Among accidents resulting in deaths or serious injuries, the proportion of drivers who test positive for opioids has nearly doubled since 2020, and marijuana use has also increased substantially.” But the fact is that many drivers who are sober still appear to be driving as though they are on a speedway – just check out Interstate 90 at any time of the day!
What is causing this behavior? Psychologists seem to be unanimous in stating that reckless driving is a symptom of widespread feelings of resentment, despair, depression, and isolation. David Spiegel of Stanford University says that he believes this behavior to be connected with the sharp rise in homicides and hostility toward vaccination and mask requirements. “That fundamental disrespect for social responsibility is endangering all of us,” he states.
What about pedestrians? While they account for much of the car-related spike in fatalities, these numbers began to increase even before the pandemic. In 2019, roughly 6,600 pedestrians were killed. This number represented a more than 50 percent increase from 10 years earlier. The increase can also be attributed to the fact that so many motorists now drive larger and heavier vehicles such as SUVs and pickup trucks which have resulted in much more catastrophic injuries to pedestrians and cyclists. However, fast driving on local roads is an extremely important factor that cannot be ignored.
What can be done? Get drivers to SLOW DOWN! Most American roadways are engineered for maximizing speed. Did you know that more than 20 state traffic safety bills proposed in the past two years were not approved. THE WEEK suggests, “because legislators feared a political backlash from motorists.” Nevertheless, local communities and local governments can use these proven practices to reduce accidents: Lower speed limits, enforce traffic laws, and implement “traffic calming” measures such as speed bumps.
Part 2 on this topic (March 10) will explore what our very own Sun City’s Special Interest Group, “Walkers and Bicyclists for a Safer Community,” has been doing since November, 2020 to help gain the above safety measures for all of us!
