Current Events > Auto traffic declined noticeably in 2020, but fatalities increased 24%

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-09/traffic-plummeted-in-2020-but-fatal-crashes-rose

But that last benefit did not come to pass. We saw the opposite, said Maureen Vogel, the communications director at the National Safety Council, an advocacy group. As many as 42,060 people died on U.S. roads last year, or 8% more than in 2019, according to preliminary data released by the NSC. Combined with a 13% decline in vehicle-miles traveled, the rate of death on American roads jumped 24% year over year the sharpest spike the NSC has measured since 1924, Vogel said.

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Only the idiots were driving

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People acting more reckless/less aware because of emptier roads maybe?

Bored people + empty roads = bad news.

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Emptier roads resulting in higher speeds, would be my guess

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I remember seeing a news story way back during lockdown last year that mentioned even though driving was way down speeding tickets were way up.

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Yea... here lately I'm seeing people drive down main streets and city roads like they are on the Interstate or Highway.

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Doesn't surprise me at all. There was so much less traffic on the road and most people took that as an invitation to go 30-35 mph over the speed limit.

I generally go 15MPH above when I'm in the fast lane and they were zipping up on me going double that easily. Eventually just stopped going in the fast lane since it wasn't worth the headache.

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