Number of Pennsylvania road deaths kept climbing even as millions stayed home

[TexasTowelie]

Despite a dramatic decrease in driving brought on by the pandemic this year, more people are dying on Pennsylvania roads than in 2019. And a Morning Call review of road fatalities in the Lehigh Valley suggests the trend may have been worse here.

The available statistics at the state and national level fly in the face of what safety experts have come to expect after decades of analysis.

Historically, exposure was the main factor — when Americans drove more, fatalities went up. But driving during the pandemic has seen just the opposite.

“It is astounding. It is counter to any trend in any other time frame we have ever analyzed,” said Ken Kolosh, the National Safety Council’s manager of statistics. “It’s just so inconsistent with previous recession periods. This is going to be studied for years if not decades to better understand.”

Read more: https://www.mcall.com/business/transportation/mc-biz-transportation-covid-19-road-deaths-20201212-xns227ts5zhtxk3pwzereeurhu-story.html
(Allentown Morning Call)

[FreepFryer]

1. People w diminished judgment are a greater % of those still driving (Nt)

[PJMcK]

2. Here's a thought

We retreated from our NYC apartment to our mountain house in NE Pennsylvania back in early March. Here's what I've seen anecdotally in our "adopted" state.

The speed limits on the highways here vary between 55 and 65 mph. Normally, the pace of traffic averages about 10 mph over the limit. These days it seems more like 20 mph. Additionally, there seem to be more aggressive drivers zipping along these roads.

To exacerbate this danger, Pennsylvania's roads are not the best in the nation. Some highways have been beautifully maintained but many others are a mess of potholes, uneven surfaces and dangerous construction zones.

A drive from here to Scranton is about an hour or so and it demonstrates all of the issues I've mentioned. An increase in fatalities doesn't really seem surprising.

[doc03]

3. I thought some insurance companies gave people a refund on their premium

this year because the accident rate was down?

[Ohiogal]

4. There are more preoccupied and distracted drivers

as a percentage of the drivers on the road recently.And lots more road rage. More worried people and angry people getting behind the wheel.

[tanyev]

5. I saw a similar story for Texas.

They flat out said it was because the people who are on the road are driving like speed demon maniacs.

[Freddie]

6. I think part of the problem is the GPS

It makes no attempt to distinguish between safe and unsafe intersections. And if you’re not familiar with the area you don’t know any alternatives. Once DH was going somewhere unfamiliar and the GPS wanted him to cross a busy 4 lane highway at a stop sign. It only looks for the shortest way (loves to take you on a maze to save .00001 of a mile) and nothing else.