PANDEMIC PARADOX

Americans Have Been Staying Home. So Why Have Pandemic Traffic Deaths Soared?

Last year, the U.S. had the biggest one-year jump in traffic fatalities in almost a century.

A new report from the National Safety Council has found that, despite more Americans working from home and cutting down on travel due to the coronavirus pandemic, traffic-related deaths soared in 2020. The number of people killed rose 8 percent from the previous year to 42,060—the biggest one-year jump since 1924. Experts say fewer cars on the road has actually led to riskier driving. Speed was one of the main factors in 2020 deaths, according to NSC data. Alcohol, opioids and marijuana were also more prevalent in trauma center patients who were involved in crashes. “The pandemic appears to be taking our eyes off the ball when it comes to traffic safety,” Ken Kolosh, manager of statistics for the NSC, said.