Dangerous behaviors picked up during the early, low-traffic days of the pandemic are partly to blame.
Despite pandemic-induced reductions in driving last year, traffic deaths in the United States rose 4.6% during the first nine months of 2020. "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 28,190 people died in traffic crashes from January through September of last year, up from 26,941 in the same period of 2019."
With fewer vehicles on the road, some drivers engaged in more dangerous behavior—and are continuing to do so even as traffic starts to return to pre-pandemic levels. Traffic deaths fell slightly in the second quarter, then spiked by 13.1% in the third. Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, speculates that speeding is the main culprit. "Early in the pandemic, drivers found open roads and drove faster. The behavior continued even as traffic volumes recovered." Intoxicated driving and fewer people wearing seatbelts also play a role in the increased deaths.
FULL STORY: Risky driving: US traffic deaths up despite virus lockdowns
Breaking News: 'Vision Zero' Resolution Introduced in Congress
The resolution acknowledges the epidemic of traffic fatalities and calls on DOT to focus on traffic safety with the goal of reducing roadway deaths to zero by 2050.
Who's at Fault When Self-Driving Cars Kill People?
As more autonomous vehicles hit the road and inevitably cause crashes, courts will have to contend with a complex web of responsibility when ruling on wrongful death cases.
Latest Traffic Safety Data Adds Grim Death Count to an Already Tragic Year
The public health epidemic created by dangerous roads, dangerous cars, and dangerous drivers was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Phase 1 Revealed for $20 Billion Chicago Megaproject
Plans for One Central, a proposed megadevelopment that would add 22.3 million square feet of buildings to the city of Chicago, are taking shape.
Boston Introduces 'Maximum Parking Ratios' for Large Buildings
Large buildings with uses of all kinds will be subject to Boston's new "Maximum Parking Ratios."
5 Tips for Planning Safe Post-Pandemic Events
As community events start move off-screen and become available to the public again, here are five ways organizers can ensure public health and safety.
Getty Conservation Institute
University of Calgary
MetroBike LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Symbium
Rowan University's Department of Geography, Planning, & Sustainability
Hillsborough County Public Schools
City of Raleigh
City of Laramie, Wyoming and Albany County Wyoming
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
