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Title:

Changes in Traffic Crash Patterns: Before and After the Outbreak of COVID-19 in Southern Florida

Accession Number:

01764170

Record Type:

Component

Abstract:

In the twentieth year of the twenty-first century, humanity is facing an unprecedented global crisis owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has brought about drastic changes in the way everyone lives and works, as well as the way they move from one place to another, namely transportation. The objective of this study is to explore changes in traffic crash patterns before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 using crash data from Southern Florida for the first half of the years of 2019 and 2020. Preliminary analyses show a considerable reduction from March to June. Substantial changes are shown in the proportions of crashes by time period, injury severity, and crash types. Two types of statistical models are developed to identify factors of (1) changes in the percentages of crashes by type and (2) the numbers of crashes by type. The developed models reveal various demographic, socioeconomic, and disease factors. After controlling other factors, the total numbers of crashes are 21% lower after the outbreak. The most significant reductions are observed in morning peak-hour (33.3%), alcohol/drug (58.0%), and pedestrian crashes (38.3%) while no significant change is found in fatal and single-vehicle crashes. Although the results from this study does not directly determine whether traffic safety has worsened or improved, they imply enormous changes in transportation and travel patterns due to the pandemic.

Supplemental Notes:

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AME70 Standing Committee on Transportation and Public Health.

Report/Paper Numbers:

TRBAM-21-02025

Language:

English

Corporate Authors:

Transportation Research Board

Authors:

Lee, Jaeyoung
Abdel-Aty, Mohamed

Pagination:

23p

Publication Date:

2021

Conference:

Transportation Research Board 100th Annual Meeting

Location: Washington DC, United States
Date: 2021-1-5 to 2021-1-29
Sponsors: Transportation Research Board; Transportation Research Board

Media Type:

Digital/other

Features:

Figures; Maps; References (41) ; Tables

Geographic Terms:

Southern Florida

Subject Areas:

Data and Information Technology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors

Source Data:

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2021 Paper #TRBAM-21-02025

Files:

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Created Date:

Dec 23 2020 11:21AM