Ferenchak, N N (2025) Us road safety during COVID-19: Motorist, pedestrian and bicyclist fatality trends. International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, 16(2), pp. 193-208. ISSN 1759-5908
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how COVID-19 lockdowns in the USA impacted traffic safety. Design/methodology/approach: The authors explored the role of vehicle, user and built environment factors on traffic fatalities in the USA, comparing results during COVID-19 lockdowns (March 19th through April 30th, 2020) to results for the same time period during the five preceding years. The authors accomplished this through proportional comparisons and negative binomial regression models. Findings: While traffic levels were 30%–50% below normal during the COVID-19 lockdowns, all traffic fatalities decreased by 18.3%, pedestrian fatalities decreased by 19.0% and bicyclist fatalities increased by 3.6%. Fatal COVID-19 crashes were more likely single-vehicle crashes involving fixed objects or rollovers. COVID-19 traffic fatalities were most common on arterial roadways and in lower density suburban built environments. Findings suggest the importance of vulnerable road users, speed management and holistic built environment policy when pursuing safety on the streets. Originality/value: The findings have road safety implications not only for future pandemics and other similar events where we would expect decreases in motor vehicle volumes (such as natural disasters and economic downturns) but also for cities that are pursuing mode shift away from personal automobiles and toward alternative modes of transportation.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | COVID-19; fatalities; infrastructure; socioeconomics; traffic safety; vulnerable road users |
| Index terms: | fatalities, built environment, pandemic, regression model, density, pedestrian, methodology, rollover, COVID-19, natural disaster |
| Subjects: | environmental hazards, research methods, analytical methods, project controls, sociology, infrastructure and transport systems, statistical analysis, health risk and incident analysis |
| Topics: | Project Management, Health and Safety, Sustainability, Urban Studies, Research Practice, Stakeholder Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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