Less traffic, more accidents: New AAA study shows how driving changed during the pandemic
Prices for new, used vehicles are up, with fewer rides under $10K
“This data demonstrates what a profound impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on our commute habits and patterns in the United States,” said Adrienne Woodland, AAA spokesperson.
The utilization of transit, taxi, and rideshare services also greatly decreased in April 2020. The proportion of people who reported using these services dropped from 5.5% pre-pandemic to 1.7%, and then later rebounded slightly and stayed constant at 2.4%.
The pandemic also led to rideshare driver shortages, which in turn means higher wait times and increased fares because the supply of drivers does not meet the recent increase in demand.
Many drivers stopped driving during the pandemic, with nowhere to take passengers and the risk of contracting the coronavirus. And now, even with more and more people vaccinated, many of the drivers don’t seem to be coming back, USA Today reported.
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Just a month ago, Michigan State Police announced a statewide crackdown on speeding to reduce the ever-increasing number of speed-related crashes.
Similarly, as traffic rates and daily trips start to creep back up in 2021 as pandemic restrictions ease, gas prices are skyrocketing to meet the demand.
Contact Emma Stein at estein@freepress.com.