COVID-19 cuts car crashes — but what about crash rates?

Kea Wilson writing for  StreetsBlog USA. says: ”So much for the silver lining. The number of car crashes is indeed plummeting due to lower traffic volumes on American roads, but the rate of car crashes is actually up in many cities — as are the injury and fatality rates for both drivers and vulnerable users.

Evidence is beginning to emerge that absent traffic jams during the coronavirus crisis, many drivers are getting more reckless. And because speed is the number one predictor of crash severity, the proportion of people dying per collision is on the rise in many communities. It’s an important asterisk that’s largely missing from media reports about the COVID-19 outbreak’s effect on our streets, and one that should prompt leaders of these cities to consider other ways to slow down cars through emergency modifications to road design.

Here’s just a sampling of places that should start strategizing ways to slow drivers down if they want to cut the car crash rate on their streets, while making the crashes that do occur a little less deadly.”

To read the full blog click here.