Pandemic lockdowns and stay-at-home orders kept many drivers off US roads and highways last year. But those who did venture out found open lanes that only invited reckless driving, leading to a sharp increase in traffic-crash deaths across the country.
The non-profit National Safety Council estimates in a report issued on Thursday that 42,060 people died in vehicle crashes in 2020, an 8% increase over 2019 and the first jump in four years.
Plus, the fatality rate per 100m miles driven spiked 24%, the largest annual percentage increase since the council began collecting data in 1923.
And even though traffic is now getting close to pre-coronavirus levels, the bad behavior on the roads is continuing, authorities say.
“It’s kind of terrifying what we’re seeing on our roads,” said Michael Hanson, director of the Minnesota public safety department’s office of traffic safety. “We’re seeing a huge increase in the amount of risk-taking behavior.”
Last year’s deaths were the…
