Why are crash deaths on the rise despite fewer vehicles on the road?

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation Podcast, conversations about excessive speeds and more traffic deaths since the pandemic began. Despite traffic volumes still being down an average of 20 percent across the state due to the pandemic, fatal crashes are on the rise. In fact, Michigan State Police tell us that 64 more people have died on Michigan’s roads than at this time last year. 

First, Michigan State Police First Lt. Michael Shaw discusses what he is seeing in his role as the department’s public information officer in Metro Detroit. 

Then, Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), discusses the issue from a national perspective. 

Lt. Shaw says speeds soared on Michigan freeways during the earliest days of the pandemic and stay-at-home orders. One person was stopped driving 180 mph on I-75 in Monroe County in April.  

There are many theories: open roads and reduced congestion, and police making fewer stops early in the outbreak to limit face-to-face contact. 

GHSA’s Adkins says traffic deaths were somewhat stable for the first six months of the year but even that is not good news given the reduction in traffic.  

GHSA issued a news release Thursday saying the data presents serious concerns. The release cites the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) in-depth analyses of highway safety data during the COVID-19 pandemic that affirms concerns voiced by GHSA in April based on trends reported in the spring by state highway safety offices. Far too many drivers saw open roads as an invitation to engage in risky behaviors like speeding, driving under the influence and driving unrestrained. GHSA’s members have daily reported speeding violations of 100 miles per hour and higher on highways and local roads throughout the country. For too long, speeding has been the forgotten traffic safety issue, even though it is a factor in nearly a third of all roadway deaths. 

Adkins also talks about flaws with setting speed limits based on the 85th percentile. In fact, a GHSA report in 2019 examining speeding-related fatalities concluded that research has shown raising speed limits to match the 85th percentile speed increases the average operating speed of the roadway, consequently increasing the 85th percentile speed.
He also offers insights on what safety messages resonate, especially with younger drivers.