With Fewer Car Crashes, LA Saves Millions During COVID-19 Shutdown
Image by Brayden Law on Pexels
It’s no surprise that car crashes in Los Angeles have dropped since the COVID-19 pandemic. With fewer vehicles on the roads, how could there be an increase in car accidents? What might surprise you, however, is just how much LA is saving due to these plummeting car crash stats.
Researchers out of UC Davis compared recent traffic data with statistics from the same time last year. According to their analysis, Los Angeles already saved at least $1 billion this year from the reduction in car crashes.
If LA could maintain these low crash statistics for one year, analysts believe the city could save $15 billion. That translates to roughly $40 million every day.
Study authors note there have been about 450 motor vehicle accidents per day since LA’s “stay at home” order began in late March. By contrast, there were over 1,100 per day during March and April of 2019.
Another piece of good news is that LA’s traffic fatalities have dropped during the COVID-19 lockdown. A year ago, there were almost 500 fatal crashes within 22 days. In the same timeframe this year, however, there were 237 deadly traffic accidents.
Study authors pointed out these lockdown conditions make LA far safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Under normal circumstances, Los Angeles often ranks as one of America’s deadliest cities for pedestrians.
On the downside, professors admitted drivers are far more likely to speed during the COVID-19 pandemic. There have also been reports of an uptick in illegal drag racing since the COVID-19 lockdown began.
Anyone interested in reading this study in full should click on this link to UC Davis.
