Urban Road Safety and Crash Severity during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Seattle, WA

Abstract

Teleworking and lockdown measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in reduced traffic flows and fewer cars at risk of collision on roads. The present study presents an analysis of the pandemic's impact on traffic safety and crash severity in the city of Seattle, WA. We found increased shares of speeding-related, angle-, and head-on collisions and relatively more collisions occurring during off-peak hours. Results of quasi-difference-indifferences modeling further suggest that collisions occurring during the postlockdown period have had a higher probability of being fatal or resulting in severe injuries, compared to what would be expected in the absence of the pandemic.

An Interrupted Time Series Analysis of the Sociodemographics of Crash Victims during the Illinois Stay at Home Order

“…Odds ratios of greater than one imply an increased likelihood of the dependent variable being true, while those less than one imply a decreased likelihood. Results suggest speeding was a significant predictor of White males being in a MVC during the 2020 stay at home order, where previously it was not, consistent with other speeding studies (Lee, Porr, and Miller 2020;Liao and Lowry 2021;Stiles et al 2021). Conversely, speeding correlates with a diminished likelihood of White females' MVC involvement where it did not previously.…”