State Crashes During COVID-19 are More Fatal

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 13, 2020

CONTACT:  Carey Anne Nadeau

Lanaya Nelson

860-670-0117

ometry@ometry.com

CRASH ATLAS REVEALS MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH FATALITIES
ARE A SIDE EFFECT OF CORONAVIRUS

 

NEW YORK: Ometry, a road safety and risk technology company, launched ‘Crash Atlas’, an interactive road safety monitoring resource that tracks state-by-state trends in vehicle crashes and related fatalities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Crash Atlas is available at crashometry.com and will be updated as new data become available, to reflect the latest changes in overall and fatal crash rates. The resource is designed to promote safer driving, reduce crashes, and save lives. 

 

Trends revealed by our analysis include: 

  • The number of fatal and overall crashes are decreasing in the US as the number of drivers on the road has strongly dropped due to COVID-19.
  • In certain states, decreases in the overall number of crashes have outpaced those of fatal crashes, which have not decreased as much. 
  • The proportion of crashes that are fatal continues to increase during the COVID-19 pandemic (either from February to March or March to April), meaning that despite fewer drivers on the road, crashes are more deadly. 

 

For example, in the state of Texas:

  • There  were 52.5% fewer crashes in April 2020 than in April 2019
  • The fatality rate was 30.0% higher in April 2020 than in April 2019
  • From March to April 2020, the proportion of fatal crashes increased 21.4% while the number of crashes overall went down 38.9%

 

“As we speed to open up economies, we need to slow down on the road,” said Ometry’s Founder and CEO Carey Anne Nadeau. “The data show that it is more dangerous to drive right now. So, we need to do more to protect our essential drivers — truck drivers, police officers, and nurses — who must drive in order to care for the sick, keep communities safe, and deliver the goods that keep our economy moving.”

 

More severe and fatal crashes also adds stress to hospitals nearing or over capacity, especially in the emergency and intensive care units. According to Jonathan Atkins, executive director of Governors Highway Safety Administration (GHSA) in a recent Forbes article, “Emergency rooms in many areas of the country are at capacity, and the last thing they need is additional strain from traffic crash victims.” 

 

Ometry will continue to update the Crash Atlas of crash and fatality risks as data become available, adding more state-wide statistics and local maps to help  people that have to be on the roads to safely navigate them. To access the data, visit www.crashometry.com

 

About Ometry

Ometry is a safety and risk technology company, measuring road safety. By providing location-specific risk scores, Ometry improves the measurement and management of crash risks to make safer roads for everyone.

Mohn, Tanya. “Speeding And Other Reckless Driving Spike During Pandemic.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, April 23, 2020. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyamohn/2020/04/22/speeding-and-other-reckless-driving-spike-during-pandemic/#1e3ea2023d65.
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