Urban Road Safety and Crash Severity during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Seattle, WA

Teleworking and lockdown measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in reduced traffic flows and fewer cars at risk of collision on roads. The present study presents an analysis of the pandemic’s impact on traffic safety and crash severity in the city of Seattle, WA. We found in...

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Main Authors: Haifeng (Felix) Liao, Michael Lowry
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Findings Press 2021-12-01
Series:Findings
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.32866/001c.30007
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author Haifeng (Felix) Liao
Michael Lowry
author_facet Haifeng (Felix) Liao
Michael Lowry
author_sort Haifeng (Felix) Liao
collection DOAJ
description Teleworking and lockdown measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in reduced traffic flows and fewer cars at risk of collision on roads. The present study presents an analysis of the pandemic’s impact on traffic safety and crash severity in the city of Seattle, WA. We found increased shares of speeding-related, angle-, and head-on collisions and relatively more collisions occurring during off-peak hours. Results of quasi-difference-in-differences modeling further suggest that collisions occurring during the post-lockdown period have had a higher probability of being fatal or resulting in severe injuries, compared to what would be expected in the absence of the pandemic.
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spelling doaj-art-eab3c487ce854142bcccea6abaa4d7322025-08-20T02:40:08ZengFindings PressFindings2652-88002021-12-0110.32866/001c.30007Urban Road Safety and Crash Severity during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Seattle, WAHaifeng (Felix) LiaoMichael LowryTeleworking and lockdown measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in reduced traffic flows and fewer cars at risk of collision on roads. The present study presents an analysis of the pandemic’s impact on traffic safety and crash severity in the city of Seattle, WA. We found increased shares of speeding-related, angle-, and head-on collisions and relatively more collisions occurring during off-peak hours. Results of quasi-difference-in-differences modeling further suggest that collisions occurring during the post-lockdown period have had a higher probability of being fatal or resulting in severe injuries, compared to what would be expected in the absence of the pandemic.https://doi.org/10.32866/001c.30007
spellingShingle Haifeng (Felix) Liao
Michael Lowry
Urban Road Safety and Crash Severity during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Seattle, WA
Findings
title Urban Road Safety and Crash Severity during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Seattle, WA
title_full Urban Road Safety and Crash Severity during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Seattle, WA
title_fullStr Urban Road Safety and Crash Severity during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Seattle, WA
title_full_unstemmed Urban Road Safety and Crash Severity during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Seattle, WA
title_short Urban Road Safety and Crash Severity during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Seattle, WA
title_sort urban road safety and crash severity during the 2020 covid 19 pandemic the case of seattle wa
url https://doi.org/10.32866/001c.30007
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