There have been many reasons cited for why deaths increased despite there being fewer people on the roads. Many experts, like Acting NHTSA Administrator Ann Carlson, believe that with fewer cars on the road, many drivers decided to take more risks. “I do think people got in the habit of speeding more,” Carlson said, adding that some drivers “got a sense they could get away with it probably.”
There was perhaps a belief that there were fewer police on the roads too, so maneuvers and stunts people wouldn’t have tried pre-pandemic were carried out with more frequency. Additionally, incidents of impaired driving and driving without seatbelts also rose at the time. Again, this may be due to the belief that there was less of a police presence, but we don’t think you can discount the negative mental effects the pandemic had on the country as a collective.
