Is COVID Making People Drive More Recklessly?

Driving is a privilege that some confuse with being a right. There are rules and regulations by which every driver must abide while behind the wheel. These are in place to keep everyone on the road safe. After all, cars are heavy machinery, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly 1.35 million people will die each year due to car accidents across the globe. In the United States, traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for people under the age of 54.

These statistics alone should be enough to ensure everyone lucky enough to own and operate a vehicle follows the rules of the road, but that’s not true for all. In fact, dangerous behaviors such as reckless driving are all too common – and may have become even more so during recent times. This leads to the question: is COVID making people drive more recklessly? Let’s find out.

What is reckless driving?

Reckless driving is defined as a willful disregard for the safety of people or property while operating a vehicle. In the United States, the laws surrounding reckless driving are clear; it is considered to be a major moving traffic violation. Although some may think that reckless driving is similar to careless driving, the two are not one and the same.

Some examples of reckless driving include speeding, tailgating (not leaving sufficient distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front), not using turn signals, running stop signs or red lights, drunk and distracted driving, and failing to yield to right-of-way laws on the road. The consequences of reckless driving can be serious. Aside from causing injury or traffic accidents, a driver who is caught reckless driving can be fined or imprisoned, or have their license suspended or taken away.

person driving car on empty road at night
Image by Gabe Pierce on Unsplash: Is speeding during COVID-19 on the rise?

Is reckless driving on the rise?

A report published by the National Safety Council in 2019 found that motor vehicle accidents causing death were actually decreasing. Between 2017 and 2018, they decreased by 2%, and then again between 2018 and 2019 they decreased by another 2%. The reasoning behind the decrease is not entirely known, but the report suggests that new laws and regulations, such as lowering the legal alcohol limit, go hand in hand with mitigating reckless driving.

However, pedestrians have paid the ultimate price for reckless driving in the past. According to the CDC, specific reckless driving incidents involving alcohol use account for close to half of all pedestrian accidents, with 17% of those being the driver who was under the influence. In terms of pedestrian fatalities, those numbers had also decreased by 3% from 2018 to 2019. Those downturns in deaths could be attributed to lowered rates of reckless driving – but after 2019, that has changed. 

Reckless driving during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has been taking its toll on the world in various ways since early 2020, and when it comes to reckless driving, it has played a hand in increased traffic incidents. According to an article published in the Washington Post, it took only three months into the pandemic for drivers to begin engaging in reckless driving behaviors such as speeding. This has led speed-related crashes to increase as well.

With empty roadways caused by lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, many who were out on the roads began to speed well over the limit. The assumption is that with less cars on the road, these drivers believed they could get away with it; however, for many people disobeying speeding laws, crashes ensued. The same article in the Washington Post stated that 42 people lost their lives in car accidents in the 45 days following the implementation of the state’s first pandemic stay-at-home order. (In the same period of 2019, only 29 people suffered the same fate on Minnesota highways.)

empty highway road at night
Image by Sebastian Staines on Unsplash: With empty roads, some “crazy” drivers during COVID-19 have come out of the woodwork to drag race and perform other dangerous driving maneuvers.

Emptied roads have left room for people to drive recklessly, and multiple reports of drag racing, speeding, and driving well over the legal speed limit have been reported across the country. Although there is less traffic (down 41% overall across the country), the increase in traffic incidents is a cause for alarm.

Driving safely is the main thing people can do to lessen the risk of fatal or serious car accidents. Reckless driving may have been on the rise during the pandemic, but those who are part of the problem should know that driving is a right and not a privilege. Driving safely is a responsibility and should always be treated as such, no matter the circumstances of the road or the world at large.

Featured image by Samuele Errico Piccarini on Unsplash

Why The Pandemic Is Hard For Disabled Drivers (And 4 Ways To Make It Easier)

The COVID-19 pandemic has made 2020 tough for just about everyone – including disabled drivers. From making it more difficult to go out, to the need for distance from friends and loved one in the interests of your health, the changes to regular life have been a hard pill to swallow.

Let’s take a look at a few of the hardships disabled drivers have faced as COVID has swept across the world, as well as a few vital tips to help make things a little bit easier.

Dr Handicap - COVID-19
Image by Adam Niescioruk on Unsplash: Wondering how people with disabilities can cope during the COVID-19 pandemic? Read on.

How Is The Coronavirus Impacting People With Disabilities?

There are several ways the pandemic has impacted those with disabilities, affecting their ease of navigating the world. Some of these challenges include:

1. Impact on health

While not everyone with a disability has other health problems, many do. So are people with underlying health conditions more at risk of getting COVID-19? Unfortunately, yes. Those with chronic conditions are in the higher risk category for COVID. As a result, they may have to take particularly stringent self-isolation measures in order to avoid exposing themselves to the virus and risking serious illness.

2. Difficulty in protecting themselves

Most people prepared for lockdown by going out and stocking up on the supplies they needed. But that’s something that may not have been as easy for disabled drivers and those with disabilities. It can be difficult for many disabled drivers and people with disabilities to get out in the middle of a pandemic and secure the supplies and medications they may need.

3. Threatening independence

Many disabled drivers are proud of the independence they’ve achieved in dealing with their disability. But still, many utilize support from others to help them maintain that independence, and that’s something that may have been disrupted by this outbreak.

4. Adding issues to long-term disabilities

The flexibility and accommodations those with disabilities need in the workplace can be disrupted by the pandemic – but on the bright side, it can also help workplaces to see just how well accommodations such as telecommuting can work.  

Dr Handicap - sanitizer
Image by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash: How do disabled drivers cope with COVID-19? Many ways, including strict sanitizing measures.

COVID-19 And Disabled Drivers

Navigating COVID-19 with a disability can be a challenge, but it’s still possible to retain your independence and live your life to the fullest in the midst of a pandemic.

Aside from washing your hands regularly and wearing a mask in public, you can protect your wellbeing and health by:

1. Take extra care to clean and sanitize

There are several steps disabled drivers can take to protect their health during this pandemic. You should regularly wash any mobility equipment you have such as crutches, wheelchairs, or walkers.

Also adjust how you go about some of your daily activities. For instance, if you have limited function of your hands, then avoid using your mouth to take off gloves as you may have in the past. If you have low vision, then you may need to touch more surfaces than other people; wear gloves to add an extra layer of protection.

2. Practice physical distancing

As well as practicing physical distancing in public places, it’s important to do so with outsiders in your own home. If you have caregivers that help with day-to-day tasks, try to limit your close interactions as much as possible. When you can’t practice physical distancing, wear a mask.

3. Think about communication

If you struggle with hearing issues, it can be difficult to understand what people are saying with a mask on. Carry a notepad and pen with you so you can have someone write down what they’re saying if you’re struggling to understand them from behind personal protective equipment such as masks and plexiglass. (Just be sure to sanitize the pen when they’re done using it!)

4. Plan ahead

You may need to have a plan for getting to the hospital if you get sick. If you think you’d be unable to drive yourself, then make sure you have someone to take you. If you do drive yourself, be sure you know where the nearest hospital is as well as where the disabled parking is available at the hospital to have one less thing to worry about if the situation occurs.

This pandemic has been difficult for many, but it adds another challenge for those with disabilities and disabled drivers. Try out the above tips so you can get back to living your life while being as safe as possible.

Featured image by Glen Carrie on Unsplash