The Surge in Speeding and Reckless Driving Amid Pandemic

6 Oct 2021

While roadways were emptying during the pandemic, some drivers took this as an excuse to speed more than they usually would. Speeding and reckless driving have increased dramatically since the pandemic, making the roads a much more dangerous place, even if they are a little less crowded.

This crisis that has accompanied the global pandemic has resulted in an increase in speed-related car crashes and deaths. Police officers all over the country, from Maine to California, have reported a significant increase in speeding and reckless driving citations. The California Highway Patrol saw twice the number of people exceeding 100 mph on their freeways between June and January compared with pre-pandemic statistics. New York also saw an increase in speeding-related deaths compared to before the pandemic.

Although fewer drivers on the road may have been a major reason for excessive and more frequent speeding during the start of the pandemic when roads were largely empty, the continuation in high levels of speeding and reckless driving has led officials to believe that there are other factors at play. For example, officials have found that an increased number of individuals are driving while impaired and/or not using their seatbelts.

While it’s not totally clear why motorists are speeding so much more and driving more recklessly, and taking advantage of the open road does not apply to the current state of our nation’s roadways as most people are back to traveling or at least commuting to work, it is clear that driving has become more dangerous.

In 2020, traffic deaths nationwide increased about 7.2% from 2019 to 2020, even though there were fewer miles traveled in 2020 compared to 2019. Meaning that although overall people were driving less during the pandemic, there were still more driving deaths compared to before the pandemic when more people were driving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated that more than approximately 38,680 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2020, the highest number in over a decade.

Certain groups like the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the National Road Safety Foundation, and the Governors Highway Safety Association hope to address this growing problem. These organizations recently announced that they are going to work with another to fund and assess projects that are geared towards reducing speeding by encouraging motorists to drive more slowly and carefully. Two of these pilot projects, based in Maryland and Virginia, will implement methods aimed at strengthening engineering, education, enforcement, and public outreach and advocacy.

Put the Brakes on Speeding with GPS Tracking

 Did you know that by using a GPS tracking device or GPS fleet tracking you can receive alerts for speeding and harsh braking. In this way you’re notified of reckless driving whether it is to monitor the driving of a teen or your fleet drivers.  Notifications are sent when speed exceeds threshold you set, or if you’re looking for speeding that exceeds by posted speed limit, that is also available.

Contact us here at LiveviewGPS to learn more about GPS tracking and speeding alerts. 1-888-544-0494.


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