Because when the car leaves the road at a high rate of speed THAT IS an accident.
>>Despite having driven much less owing to lockdowns–staying at home out of fear, or simply because there were less places to go and fewer things to do–the National Safety Council (NSC) estimates that over 42,000 Americans died in motor vehicle accidents in 2020.
Drivers were routinely driving the highways in the 90-100+ speed range. DAILY.
California set a new record for ticket violations over 100 MPH last year.
No traffic = high speed.
speed kills
Masks.
My thoughts. Before the pandemic a majority of the miles driven were by conscientious people going to and from work. They’re not speeding or doing silly stuff. They are intent on living their lives. Let’s say the cars are normalized to 100 on the road. Of those, let’s say five percent, five cars, are being driven by people who are constitutionally disposed to reckless behavior. Those five are pretty much speed regulated by the flow of traffic in normal conditions. They don’t have as much opportunity to engage in risky behavior because they are stuck behind people driving to and from work at the speed limit.
Now, we have a pandemic. Most businesses are shut. The number of cars on the road is drastically reduced. But those drivers who were reckless probably weren’t employed. They were doing whatever they wanted. Now, they are not speed limited by the other traffic. And, they represent a significantly larger percentage of the drivers on the road. They are going to encounter other risky drivers at a greater rate. There will be more road rage. More races. More Darwinistic behavior.
If, during the pandemic, the accident rate had dropped. It would mean that there are many fewer risk takers in our society than there really is. A greater death rate merely confirms there are plenty of people out there with some sort of dispensation towards being stupid behind the wheel.
“There is no physiological link, ceteris paribus, between infection and an increased propensity to imperil oneself.”
I’ve read some things lately that cast doubt upon the assertion that all things are equal. Apparently, brain injuries can alter brain chemistry in a way that results in “an increased propensity to imperil oneself.”
If injuries can cause that, perhaps some illnesses could as well.
Could the fact that marijuana is effectively legal have something to do with it?
An detailed breakdown of the various causes of the accidents would be quite instructive.
Or everyone could just make up whatever they like.
Going by this report, if not for Covid-19 lock downs, with fewer drivers on the roads, would Tiger Woods’ drive had been made at a lower speed and his accident avoided; I wonder.
Because it COULDN'T possibly be that with less drivers on the road...the people on the road who were JAGOFF drivers to begin with had more boldness and motivation to even be MORE of a JAGOFF driver. Nah...couldn't be.
The speeds people were traveling during the “plandemic” in my area of Missouri was astonishing. At the time I figured police were not patrolling and ticketing people due to not wanting to stop people and “catch” the CCP virus. There were less people on the road and the few that were on it were speeding at above normal “speeding.” 60 zone.. they were doing 85+ and cops were absent from their “normal” speed trap zones.
How many of those accidents involve illegal aliens?
Covid...? Is this a rhetorical question? (Of course I haven’t read the article yet.)
It could be plenty were on the roads doing nothing but doodling around. Driving for fun.
(Not so much at first as traffic really was far down in our region all summer.)