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Research Shows New York Roads Have Become More Dangerous Since COVID

A Spike in Extreme Speeding and Road Rage Have Led to More Severe Injuries and More Fatal Crashes

New York, NY – December 21, 2021 – New analysis of DMV data reveals harsh new driving behaviors on New York State roads.  A study conducted by Rosenblum Law examined accident and traffic ticket data throughout 2020 which presents a picture of changing driving habits, including a 70% increase in extreme speeding (31+ mph over the limit), along with surges in aggressive driving and serious accidents.

“Our firm has seen a dramatic increase in high-point speeds and serious accident cases,” said Adam H. Rosenblum, Esq., founding attorney at Rosenblum Law.  This data confirms what we’ve suspected, which is that drivers have been taking greater risks since COVID began affecting our lives.”

Rosenblum Law analyzed DMV data and discovered four key trends:

Serious Speeding Went Up 70%

Last year 17,000 tickets were written in New York for exceeding the speed limit by 31 mph or more. This is 70% more than any other year in the past decade. And this statistic is even more meaningful given a 13% overall decrease in traffic due to Covid-related lockdowns, remote work, an increase in online shopping, fewer discretionary vacations, and road trips, etc.

Fatal Accidents Rose Sharply in 2020

Fatal accidents increased 8% from 2019, while overall accidents dropped. The total number of persons killed in these fatal accidents rose even more, from 938 in 2019 to 1031 in 2020—a 10% increase. This coincides with a 10% increase in the number of accidents caused by aggressive driving or road rage, as defined by accident reports.

Cell Phone-Related Accidents Remain Steady

Despite there being 13% fewer drivers on U.S. roads last year, accidents caused by texting or cell phone use in NY were nearly the same as in previous years (roughly a 3% dip). This means that a significantly greater percentage of mobile device-related auto accidents occurred in 2020 than in previous years which is further evidence that the number of people engaging in risky behaviors behind the wheel increased.  Read more

NYC Saw the Greatest Decline in Both Accidents and Tickets

The five boroughs of NYC led the state in traffic ticket declines. Manhattan had the largest single drop-off, with almost 60% fewer tickets written in 2020 than previous years. It was followed by Staten Island, where police wrote roughly half as many tickets last year as the year before.

Why did instances of high speed and fatal accidents increase during 2020? While we can’t say for certain, a plausible theory is that with fewer drivers on the roads overall people felt freer to open up the throttle. High speeds simply aren’t possible in heavy traffic. As we know, speeding is a significant contributing factor in auto accidents.

For the complete results of each study, visit Rosenblum Law’s dedicated traffic ticket website: https://www.traffictickets.com/data.

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