A Time and Space Exploration of Traffic Crash Trends During the Covid Recovery

Past research has shown, including studies by UC Berkeley’s SafeTREC, that crashes in congested conditions differ fundamentally from those in free-flowing traffic. Despite this, traditional traffic crash monitoring programs often overlook congestion as a factor when identifying high-risk locations. Recently, state Departments of Transportation have begun focusing on the most serious crashes (Fatal and Serious Injuries), which tend to occur in free-flow conditions. While this is a better approach to identify high-risk locations, there is room for further improvement by understanding the role played by congestion. During the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, traffic crashes in California have returned to prepandemic levels. Fortunately, fatal and serious crashes have not increased significantly, as seen nationwide (1). A common explanation for this trend is the increase in reckless driving, which tends to occur in free-flow conditions. However, it is very likely that the reduced congestion during the COVID recovery has heightened the risk of serious injuries on previously congested roads. This research aims to explore the extent to which these trends are driven by reduced congestion, providing a clearer picture of the factors contributing to high-risk road segments.

• Record URL:
  https://metrans.org/research/a-time-and-space-exploration-of-traffic-crash-trends-during-the-covid-recovery

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Programmed
• Funding: $80000
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348309

  65A0674

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  METRANS Transportation Consortium

  University of Southern California
  Los Angeles, CA  United States 
• Project Managers:

  Hong, Jennifer

  Bruner, Britain

• Principal Investigators:

  Griswold, Julia

• Start Date: 20250101
• Expected Completion Date: 20260630
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: COVID-19; Crash rates; Reckless drivers; Traffic congestion; Trend (Statistics)
• Geographic Terms: California
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01928606
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Pacific Southwest Region University Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348309, 65A0674
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Aug 24 2024 10:48AM