Lead-foot prevalent in pandemic’s light traffic
Lots of speeding tickets given in U.S., police say
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Some drivers took advantage of roads and highways emptied by the coronavirus pandemic by pushing well past the speed limit, a trend that continues even as states try to get back to normal.
The Iowa State Patrol recorded a
101 percent increase from January through August over the four-year average in tickets for speeds exceeding 100 mph, along with a 75 percent increase in tickets for speeds of 25 mph or more over the posted speed limit.
California Highway Patrol officers issued more than 15,000 tickets from mid-march through Aug. 19 for speeds exceeding 100 mph, more than a 100 percent increase over the same time period a year ago. That includes a continuing spike from May on.
The most likely explanation is drivers taking advantage of more open roads because of the pandemic, said Officer Ian Hoey, a spokesman for the California agency.
In Ohio, state troopers have issued 2,200 tickets since April for driving more than 100 mph, a 61 percent increase over the same time period a year ago. The highest ticketed speed was 147 mph in the Cincinnati area.
While traffic has decreased 15 percent from February through July, the number of people driving more than 80 mph on Ohio roads jumped by 30 percent, according to sensor data analyzed by the state Department of Transportation.
Columbus resident Karen Poltor experienced the trend firsthand last month when three cars raced past her on state Route 315, an expressway through the city.
July was Ohio’s deadliest traffic month since 2007, with 154 fatalities.
A temporary reduction in traffic enforcement in the early days of the pandemic may have contributed to a sense of invulnerability by some drivers. Some Ohio police agencies, though not the highway patrol, eased up on pulling drivers over for minor traffic violations to avoid spreading the coronavirus.
Vermont law enforcement officials believe an increase in the number of traffic fatalities recorded to date this year could be linked to fewer police on the road because of the pandemic. So far, there have been 43 traffic fatality deaths, up from 21 at the same point last year.
Utah state police saw a 23 percent jump in tickets issued for going 20 mph or more over the speed limit from March through August compared with the same time period last year. In Pennsylvania, patrol tickets for drivers exceeding 100 mph climbed in March but then stayed high from June through August, jumping 25 percent during that three-month period.
“Less traffic has coincided with a rise in speeding in some areas of the country, and that’s a problem because speeding increases the risk of crashes, and can increase crash severity as well,” James Owens, deputy administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a public service announcement.