Traffic Fatalities Increase Dramatically in 2020

Despite a huge drop in vehicle miles traveled, there have been more traffic fatalities in the first six months of 2020 than the same period in 2019.

1 minute read

September 4, 2020, 6:00 AM PDT

By Lee Flannery @leecflannery


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"Car drivers are killing people — pedestrians, cyclists, their own passengers, themselves — at a much higher rate this year compared to last, even though total travel is down dramatically because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report shows," writes Gersh Kuntzman about the findings of data released by Sam Schwarts, a traffic engineering firm.

According to the data set, in the first 6 months of 2020, the death rate per million VMT has increased by 12.7% year-over-year from 1.02 to 1.15. Sam Schwartz National Practice Leader for Safety and Research Richard Retting says that while total fatalities decreased by 5% from January to June 2020, that number should be much lower given vehicle miles traveled during that time. 

In New York City, a drip of 40% fewer VMT per day did not equate to a proportionate dip in fatalities. DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg thinks that "serial speeders" may be to blame. 

"The increase in deaths per vehicle miles traveled has been discussed widely on a piecemeal basis, with most experts attributing the increase to rampant speeding in which drivers have engaged thanks to the fewer cars on the road," notes Kuntzman. 


Monday, August 31, 2020 in StreetsBlog NYC

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