According to a recent report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, the number of people who died on the nation’s roads spiked between the months of July and September 2020. These were months when people started resuming more typical driving habits.
During these months, NHTSA estimated that just over 11,250 died in fatal motor vehicle accidents. By comparison, about 9,950 people died during the same time frame in 2019. Year-to-year, this marked just over a 13% increase.
The increase highlights an area of broader concern
The experts are unfortunately not seeing this as just a random uptick in the midst of what is really good news overall.
For one, the increase happened as people were driving significantly less than they had during the year before. Overall, the fatality was 1.48 deaths per 100,000 miles traveled on the roads.
Moreover, some people suggested that many drivers perceived the police as being less prone to pull motorists over and write tickets than they may have been in the past.
As a result, drivers may have taken more chances with behavior like speeding, distracted driving and reckless or aggressive driving. This sort of behavior tends to cause more accidents.
For some reason, the number of accidents involving drunk driving and drugged driving also increased in 2020.
Drivers who live in or travel through the Cincinnati area need to remember that no matter how many other travelers are on the road or many police officers are watching, safety always needs to be a priority.
Drivers who are not safety-conscious frequently cause serious or deadly accidents, and Ohio law gives victims the right to hold these drivers financially accountable.
