Pandemic Revs Up Bad Driver Behavior, Traffic Fatalities In FL

FLORIDA — Early in the pandemic, three people in Tampa were accused of drag racing and arrested for driving as fast as 85 mph in a 45 mph zone. Soon after, a motorcycle going at least 80 mph in a 35 mph zone struck a pedestrian, killing both him and the driver.

Were they isolated incidents? Hardly. In fact, it’s just two examples on a long list of documented instances illustrating how dramatically driver behavior has shifted since the coronavirus was declared a public health emergency in March.

While fewer Floridians have been on the roads in the last 11 months, the number of fatal crashes has increased.

In April, a police officer who tested positive for the coronavirus and was supposed to be in self-quarantine was pulled over in Atlanta by a state trooper who clocked him driving 130 mph in a 65 mph zone.

The same month, an off-duty New York City police officer was killed when a driver accused of drag racing on the Cross Island Parkway in Queens struck the back of his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Months later, a video surfaced on social media that appeared to show a driver hitting a mind-blowing 213 mph while racing his Lamborghini down an Indiana highway.

It’s possible you’ve witnessed similar behavior — commuters taking full advantage of emptied carpool lanes, others treating suburban interstates like their own personal Autobahn — since millions of American workers abandoned their offices to work from home amid the pandemic.

And we all know that when it comes to driving, every state has its fair share of crazy drivers.

Related: Speeding Drivers Take Advantage Of Florida's Empty Roadways

But has the pandemic brought out the worst of them?

The short answer is yes, though why remains unclear, according to Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

“Perhaps some people always wanted the experience of driving too fast on a near-open highway. Maybe some are more stressed or willing to take on additional risk because of the pandemic and its numerous repercussions,” Chase told Patch. “And, drivers are also aware that law enforcement efforts have been reduced and are (likely) ‘taking advantage’ of the situation.”

Risky Traffic Trends Emerge During Pandemic

A study done by the American Society of Civil Engineers found that by the end of March, traffic in 212 sites studied across Florida had dropped by an average of 47.5 percent compared to March 2019.

The study, which relied on Florida Department of Transportation data, included 123 urban roads and 89 rural roads.

The decrease was not isolated to Florida. Traffic nationwide dropped by 41 percent compared with pre-pandemic volumes, according to a report by The Washington Post citing transportation data firm Inrix.

For example, Los Angeles and New York City highways saw a 60 percent drop in traffic, while Washington, D.C., saw a decrease of 68 percent.

Despite the decline, an increasing number of U.S. drivers are making dangerous, risky decisions on the road.

Since the onset of the pandemic, distracted driving rates have increased across the United States, according to data from Zendrive.

Also, a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study conducted at five hospital trauma centers between March and July 2020 found that nearly 65 percent of seriously or fatally injured road users tested positive for at least one active drug, including alcohol, cannabis or opioids. The number marked a dramatic increase from the previous six months when the number of drivers testing positive was just under 51 percent.

The NHTSA followed up on the study at the start of 2021, reporting that from July to September 2020, the percentage of drivers who tested positive for at least one active drug fell to a still-high 61.6.

The spike could be attributed to the growing number of adults turning to drugs and alcohol during the pandemic.

Early in the pandemic, research by Nielsen showed that alcohol sales in stores shot up 54 percent in late March compared with the same time in 2019, while online sales increased nearly 500 percent in late April.

According to a Morning Consult poll of 2,200 U.S. adults in early April, 16 percent of all adults said they were drinking more during the pandemic, with higher rates among younger adults.

“Stress, anxiety and depression are serious mental health concerns during the pandemic, and some are turning to alcohol, drugs and opioids to manage their emotions and then getting behind the wheel,” Linda Hill, professor of family medicine at University of California San Diego, said in a statement. “Our behavior profoundly influences our crash risk.”

But of all bad traffic behaviors, excessive speed was the preferred choice among the worst pandemic drivers. In some of the most congested areas of the country, average speeds increased by as much as 250 percent, the Post reported.

According to Chase with the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, “soon after stay-at-home orders began in 2020, reports emerged of drivers turning emptier roadways into risky racetracks,” she told Patch.

Preliminary data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles backs up that assertion. According to the state, total crashes on Florida roadways dropped by 401,516 crashes between 2019 and 2020.

Although crashes were less frequent, they were more fatal in 2020, according to the data.

Fatalities from accidents grew year-over-year from 2019 to 2020. Preliminary state data shows 3,286 people died in car crashes in 2020, up from 3,191 a year prior.

The total number of fatal crashes also rose between 2019 and 2020. Data shows 2,955 fatality crashes were reported in 2019. The following year saw 3,050 fatal crashes.

Meanwhile, crash statistics from local transportation departments and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have only substantiated the trend on a national scale. Other statistics show that U.S. roads have also become more deadly.

During the first nine months of 2020, an estimated 28,190 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes, according to statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an increase of about 4.6 percent compared with the 26,941 fatalities reported in the first nine months of 2019.

The biggest jump in traffic deaths occurred over the summer months. When compared to the previous year, traffic fatalities spiked 13.1 percent during July, August and September 2020.

The causes were mainly speeding, distracted and impaired driving, along with a reduction in seatbelt use, Chase said.

“Unfortunately, these patterns only compound challenges created by COVID-19, including overly crowded emergency rooms and hospitals,” she added.

In June 2020, the Governors Highway Safety Association released a similar report corroborating the startling trends on U.S. roads.

The report noted how police in Colorado, Indiana, Nebraska and Utah had clocked motorists driving at speeds of more than 100 mph. State police in Florida and Iowa had reported drivers going 20 to 40 miles over the posted speed limit.

So, what gives? Why are drivers seeking out opportunities to drive recklessly?

Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, told The Washington Post that speeders may believe police are not prioritizing traffic stops during the pandemic. Others, he told the Post, may be aware that some police departments are operating with limited staff and resources because of the coronavirus.

“People are doing it because they think they can get away with it,” Adkins told the Post.

How To Curb The Problem

The good news, according to Chase, is these dangerous trends can be reversed.

Currently, only eight states and the District of Columbia receive a green rating from the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, meaning those states have adopted the most lifesaving traffic laws. Thirty states have a yellow rating, indicating improvement is needed; 12 states earned a red rating, meaning they are “dangerously” behind in adopting optimal traffic laws.

Florida was among the states with a red rating.

In a new report released in January, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety laid out a road map for state lawmakers to address the issues on Florida roads as well as others across the United States.

Nationally, advocates are pushing lawmakers to enact stronger laws that focus on better enforcing things such as seatbelt use, child safety seats, motorcycle helmet use, teen driver safety, impaired driving, and distracted driving.

In Florida, advocates encourage the state to adopt a rear seat belt law, a motorcycle helmet law, a law requiring rear-facing child seats for children under age 2 and a booster seat requirement.

Advocates also recommend several requirements for teen drivers, including a minimum age of 16 to obtain a learner's permit, a stronger nighttime driving restriction, a passenger restriction, a cell phone restriction and a requirement that a teenage driver cannot obtain an unrestricted license until the age of 18.

Lastly, an ignition interlock requirement for all offenders is recommended.

Patch national staff writer Megan VerHelst contributed to this report.