After more than a year of pandemic-related disruptions, traffic volume in Houston and across Texas has finally returned to normal.
Unfortunately, motor vehicle accident deaths are trending higher as well.
Houston Traffic Volume Fell 45% During Pandemic Shut-Down
According to The Houston Chronicle, freeway traffic volume across the Metro Region fell by roughly 45% in the early months of 2020 due to the COVID-19 shutdowns. Even after restrictions began to ease in the spring, there were still about 10% fewer vehicles on the road compared to the prior year.
While it’s easy to assume Texas’ roads were safer that year, it appears the lack of congestion only encouraged motorists to speed and engage in other reckless behaviors behind the wheel.
As a result, driving in Houston and many other areas of the state was as dangerous it’s ever been.
Texas Drivers Face “New Normal” as Congestion Returns
As traffic volume returned to pre-pandemic levels this year, Texas drivers faced a “new normal.” For example, although Houston still sees a peak commute in the mornings and evenings, roadways aren’t as crowded as they once were. Meanwhile, other times of the day have more congestion than before.
That suggests that fewer office-based workers are rushing to their jobs in the morning. Instead, they’re logging on at h0me and taking to the road later to run errands or grab lunch.
“There has been a migration,” Jeff Schlitt, director of sales engineering for driver-tracking firm Arity, told the Chronicle. “It is kind of spread out now.”
Texas On Track for 4,000+ Car Accident Deaths in 2021
Unfortunately, too many drivers have been unable or unwilling to shed the bad habits they acquired last year. That means the state’s newly crowded roadways have become all the more dangerous.
Texas recorded 459,972 motor vehicle crashes in the first nine months of 2021, a nearly 15% jump from the 393,919 reported during the same period last year. In September alone, the state’s daily average of roadway deaths surged to 13 per day.
Car accidents and motor vehicle crashes have already killed 3,278 people across Texas this year alone, putting the state on track to record more than 4,000 roadway deaths in 2021. According to The Houston Chronicle, that would be the highest total seen since 1982, when the per-mile fatality rate was three times higher than the current rate.
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