Even when people were locked indoors following the super spread of the coronavirus, there has been no change in the number of deaths as a result of car crashes. The number has increased by 8% in 2020 when compared to the statistics in 2019.
The reason for the sudden rise in deaths can be blamed on the reckless driving of the drivers when the lanes were free of traffic. This led to a drastic increase in car crashes and thereby the casualties.
The alarming numbers
The fatality rate per million miles driven has also spiked drastically. There’s a 24% increase in the reported deaths resulting from these fatal car accidents, and this increase is the highest in the last four years. The increase in the number of deaths signifies the seriousness of the crash, and thereby the sheer negligence and reckless driving of the drivers.
The authorities also reported that even though the traffic is increasing and reaching the same levels as that of the pre-corona period, there is still no decrease in the number of casualties reported daily.
Michael Hanson, director of the Minnesota Public Safety Department’s Office of Traffic Safety added “It’s kind of terrifying what we’re seeing on our roads, we’re seeing a huge increase in the amount of risk-taking behavior.”
It’s been 13 years since there was a huge increase in the number of reported car crash deaths. The highest numbers belonged to the year 2007 when 43,945 people lost their lives to various car crashes. Last year alone, nearly 4.8 million people were reported injured from the reckless driving and car crashes that followed.
As per the federal data, Americans drove 13% less than the previous year’s average, yet the number recorded was an all-time high compared to the statistics of the last 10 years. The data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is proof that of all the factors that caused the car crashes, speed occupies the top position. The unwanted speeding on the highways along with the thrill to top high speeds to show off could have been some reasons that caused such a heavy rise in the death rates.
In Minnesota, the traffic intensity fell by nearly 60% and officials expected a similar dip in the number of crashes and deaths. However, even when the dip was well evident in the number of crashes, the percentage of people dying in those car crashes refuses to reduce.
“Almost immediately the fatality rate started to go up, and go up significantly, it created less congestion and a lot more lane space for divers to use, and quite honestly, to abuse out there,” Hanson added.
Aftermath
Owing to the sustained increase in car crashes and the lives lost due to the same, the safety council is planning for strong and effective enforcement of traffic rules and laws. As Atlanta car accident lawyer Tobin knows this all too well practicing as a car accident lawyer. Further, they are calling for infrastructure improvements, mandatory ignition switch locks for previously convicted drunk drivers, and reducing speed limits so as to match the designs of the roadway. They are also enforcing laws that ban the use of cell phones while driving and removing all sorts of distractions that affect the driver’s concentration.