The streets of New York City are emptier since COVID-19 has forced hundreds of thousands of people to work from home or lose their jobs. But the rate of car accidents remains consistent, and is sometimes higher than usual. Between March 5 and March 16, speed cameras issued an average of 10,434 daily speeding violations, despite the city being on lockdown. This is compared to the period between Jan. 13 through Jan. 23, where the cameras detected an average of 11,309 violations per day. This is because many drivers have started speeding since there is less traffic. Some drivers are using residential streets or highways as racetracks, but the New York Police Department cannot effectively respond to complaints about them because the coronavirus has depleted their numbers.
Speeding Culprit in Auto Accidents
According to an article from Streetsblog, New York Mayor de Blasio said, “We will be very tough on people who are speeding, for sure, and I’m going to certainly insist on continued enforcement on that front.” Cameras around the city effectively track speeding drivers and issue violations, which could help curb the number of infractions. But some New Yorkers resent de Blasio’s use of speed cameras, claiming that residents cannot be expected to drive the speed limit while the world is in a panic, according to Streetsblog. Speeding has been a major culprit in fatal car accidents in the city recently. According to Streetsblog, between March 2 and April 8, six motorists died in New York City. This is higher than the number of motorists who died in that same time period in four of the last five years. But the number of vehicle miles traveled has fallen 84%, meaning there are many fewer cars and motorcycles on the road. Fewer cars should mean fewer deaths, but when speeding is a factor, this is not the reality. The injuries sustained in a car accident could be debilitating and keep you out of work for months or years. Some of the most common car accident injuries are:- Cuts and scrapes
- Whiplash
- Bruises
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Broken bones
- Herniated discs
- Internal bleeding
- Post-traumatic stress disorder