Though fewer people have hit the roads last year than many years in the past, that does not necessarily mean they got any safer. In fact, some states saw a massive leap in the dangers and related crashes on roads.
Connecticut is one of them, facing a starting 22 percent increase in fatalities for traffic crashes alone. This makes it the 5th highest state to see jumps in traffic incidents in the last year. But why has this happened?
The rise in fatal crashes
Patch discusses Connecticut’s dangerous roads and the downward slope that road safety has gone in recent years. The total number of traffic fatalities statewide in 2019 was 254. However, in 2020, this number went up to 310, rising by 56 fatalities.
For the majority of these crashes and incidents, speed remained one of the primary factors of influence. Traffic volume decreased over the last year, which experts think may have contributed to this increase in speed-related crashes. Drivers around the age of 34 saw the largest percentage of an increase. Meanwhile, single-vehicle crashes that took place on urban highways saw an increase of 9 to 14 percent.
A temporary increase in speeding
Studies indicate that this increase is likely only temporary and tied to the decrease in traffic due to lockdowns and other similar events. Similar studies that attempted to find the further causes of collisions came to the same conclusion: that it is just young drivers going too quickly on decongested roads.
The best thing to do for this is to remember: speed limits exist for a reason. Even if the roads are clear, always stick to them, and steer clear of people who obviously are not.
