I’ve read the headline and the article three times. Can someone explain to me how traffic deaths can be down but traffic fatalities up in the same time period?
Andrew is partly correct. The article mentions the behavioral changes in drivers and the lower traffic congestion allowing open lanes for drivers to speed & drive recklessly as the main contributors to the increased death rate relative to the similar period in 2019.
One point I’d make is that the authors of the study should not have EXCLUSIVELY used the 2019 experience as a benchmark period. To better discern the impact of the COVID-19 SHUT DOWN of the US Economy on the traffic fatality, a rolling 5 year period should have also been compared to the 2020 experience, both in fatality counts and rate per 100? million miles. Further, the NHTSA study should have reached back in time to a/5 year(s) where the miles driven were comparable to the 2020 COVID-19 lock-down period. However, that comparable miles driven period might not be as meaningful for comparisons if it were too distant in time from 2020.
I’ve read the headline and the article three times. Can someone explain to me how traffic deaths can be down but traffic fatalities up in the same time period?
Am I being punked? Is this April 1st?
I believe the RATE rose because of fewer miles being driven.
Andrew is partly correct. The article mentions the behavioral changes in drivers and the lower traffic congestion allowing open lanes for drivers to speed & drive recklessly as the main contributors to the increased death rate relative to the similar period in 2019.
One point I’d make is that the authors of the study should not have EXCLUSIVELY used the 2019 experience as a benchmark period. To better discern the impact of the COVID-19 SHUT DOWN of the US Economy on the traffic fatality, a rolling 5 year period should have also been compared to the 2020 experience, both in fatality counts and rate per 100? million miles. Further, the NHTSA study should have reached back in time to a/5 year(s) where the miles driven were comparable to the 2020 COVID-19 lock-down period. However, that comparable miles driven period might not be as meaningful for comparisons if it were too distant in time from 2020.