How COVID-19 Has Impacted Driving Accidents

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected virtually every aspect of our lives in ways not seen in over a century. One question that concerns us, as Naperville injury lawyers, is whether this health crisis has also impacted driving accidents, and we’ll do our best to answer that question for you.

The Effects of COVID-19

According to early reporting following the onset of the pandemic, total car crashes in Illinois were down as more people were staying off the roads, but at the same time, some state and local officials said some drivers were using the wide-open spaces as an excuse to speed.

For example, Chicago has seen a 14 percent increase in speeding tickets generated by automated cameras, and Illinois State Police figures show a modest increase in the rate of personal injury crashes in Cook County, which could indicate more speeding and reckless driving.

Further, crashes involving personal injuries accounted for almost 18 percent of Cook County crashes in April 2020, up from just under 11 percent for April 2019. And while State Police officials could not say for sure that this increase was linked to speeding, they conceded that when there’s less traffic, there’s also often a temptation to step on the gas.

National Trends and High-Speed Accidents

These Cook County statics follow trends seen by the National Safety Council (NSC). In a May 2020 report, the NSC said that even though Americans were driving less, car accidents were becoming more severe and deadly because those still on the road were often extremely reckless. Consequently, the risk of being involved in a serious crash has substantially increased, and in high-speed crashes, every part of your body goes through significant trauma, making the risk of catastrophic injury extremely high.

Our Naperville Injury Lawyers Can Help

All things considered, during the current pandemic driving is still the best option for social distancing when going to work or school or running errands. And while, on the one hand, roads and highways may be somewhat emptier than during more normal times, on the other hand, there is still plenty of speeding, reckless drivers on the road, increasing your chances of being in a serious accident.

At the Shea Law Group, helping the victims of car crashes is one of our specialties, and if you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a car accident, we urge you to contact us today for your free initial consultation.