A Texas A&M Transportation Institute road safety study showed that while the risk of death or injury proved to be greater during the pandemic, the number of traffic crashes in Texas dropped.
The number of Texas traffic crashes in April dropped by almost 50 percent compared to 2017-2019 averages, according to a study by the Center for Transportation Safety at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. The number of fatalities also dropped by about 20 percent.
But while there were fewer crashes early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, there were about 50 percent more crashes resulting in a fatality during this time period compared to previous years.
TTI Senior Research Engineer Robert Wunderlich said their study on the effects of social distancing on traffic safety shows the risk of death or injury is greater when roads are more clear.
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