Reminder: Don’t Speed During the Quarantine
If you’re a vehicle owner, you might be enjoying one unexpected benefit of the COVID-19 lockdowns: a lack of traffic. Quieter roads can definitely make it more tempting to speed when you take your car out for the occasional essential errand. Police have reported an increase in speeders during this time in both the U.S. and Europe.
Photo: getbrett via Pixabay
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A global speeding trend
According to Reuters, police in Los Angeles and London have cited drivers for speeds of over 100 miles an hour. In Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia law enforcement claimed 30 percent of drivers went over the speed limit in March compared with an average 5-8 percent of drivers annually.
During the first week of April, average vehicle speeds surged in the nation’s five largest metropolitan areas: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, New York-Newark-Jersey City, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, and Detroit-Warren-Dearborn. INRIX, a transportation analytics firm, confirms that the average speed on state highways, interstate highways, and expressways increased by as much as 75 percent in these five regions when compared with January and February stats.
And even though traffic in Washington, D.C. dropped 80 percent in March compared with January, police confirmed a 20 percent surge in speeding tickets. Forty percent of these citations involved drivers who were going 21-25 mph above the legal speed limit.
Safe driving reminder
Photo: Franz via Pixabay
These stats provide a timely reminder to observe the speed limit when you’re taking your vehicle for a spin during the quarantine. After all, coronavirus is enough of a concern to deal with on a daily basis without adding to that the hazard of reckless driving.
For a refresher on safe driving, browse this article. And reconsider what type of music you listen to behind the wheel, since a recent study confirms a link between faster music and faster driving speeds.
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Whitney Russell resides in Dayton, though her spirit can be found beach-bumming in Puerto Rico (the land of her half-Puerto Rican heritage). When not crafting car-related content, she can be found chasing after the most amazing toddler in the world, watching her “beaver” of a husband build amazing woodworking projects, hanging out with two crazy dogs, and visiting family and friends. She also enjoys traveling, crafting, and binge-watching period dramas when time allows. See more articles by Whitney.