Number of Pennsylvania road deaths kept climbing even as millions stayed home [View all]
Despite a dramatic decrease in driving brought on by the pandemic this year, more people are dying on Pennsylvania roads than in 2019. And a Morning Call review of road fatalities in the Lehigh Valley suggests the trend may have been worse here.
The available statistics at the state and national level fly in the face of what safety experts have come to expect after decades of analysis.
Historically, exposure was the main factor — when Americans drove more, fatalities went up. But driving during the pandemic has seen just the opposite.
“It is astounding. It is counter to any trend in any other time frame we have ever analyzed,” said Ken Kolosh, the National Safety Council’s manager of statistics. “It’s just so inconsistent with previous recession periods. This is going to be studied for years if not decades to better understand.”
Read more: https://www.mcall.com/business/transportation/mc-biz-transportation-covid-19-road-deaths-20201212-xns227ts5zhtxk3pwzereeurhu-story.html
(Allentown Morning Call)
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