Did the COVID-19 pandemic influence traffic fatalities in 2020? A presentation of first findings

Cycling during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

“…While there was a reduction of both indicators in 32 out of 36 countries in April 2020 compared to April 2019, there was an increase in the other four countries ( Yasin et al, 2021 ). Wegman and Katrakazas (2021) also found a reduction of traffic fatalities in 23 out of 24 countries in 2020 compared to a baseline of the previous years (2017–2019), the only exception being Switzerland. There are differences in reduction rates with almost no reduction in Finland, a reduction between 15% and 25% in Mexico, New Zealand, Great Britain, Japan, Greece, Slovenia, Belgium, Sweden, and France, and a reduction of more than 35% in Argentina and Iceland.…”

“…However, the change in road fatalities was not the same for all transport modes. Wegman and Katrakazas (2021) show a decrease for all transport modes in the countries studied, with the largest decrease for public transport-related fatalities (68%) and the smallest for cyclists (6%), which may be related to a decrease in public transport trips made. The Department for Transport (2021) even saw a rise in pedal cyclist fatalities by 41% in Great Britain, while serious injuries fell by 1% and slight injuries fell by 10% in 2020 compared to the 3-year average for 2017–2019.…”

Road crashes in Adelaide metropolitan region, the consequences of COVID-19

“…Many countries instituted lockdown rules as the COVID-19 epidemic progressed, with the goal of reducing the number of people who had to travel long distances for job, school, shopping, entertainment, and health-related purposes ( Wegman and Katrakazas, 2021 ). While the COVID-19 closure has lowered average traffic flow, producing traffic congestion, it has also led to an increase in speeding, which will definitely increase the severity of crashes as well as the number of deaths and severe injuries.…”

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Older Adult Driving in the United States

“…Recent studies showed that older driver's experiences and attitudes around driving changed during the pandemic; one large cohort study found reduced number of days driven and shorter distance of trips taken during the early pandemic (January to April, 2020) compared to pre-pandemic (Roe et al, 2021). Analyses of traffic crashes and fatalities across all ages found decreases during COVID-19 as compared to before (Katrakazas et al, 2021), with a greater proportional reduction among older drivers (Wegman & Katrakazas, 2021). Studies of older adults in multiple counties showed a restriction of life-space mobility during the pandemic (Rantanen et al, 2020;Saraiva et al, 2021).…”