If there are fewer people on the road, both in vehicles as well as on foot, it makes sense that there would be fewer traffic fatalities as well. Surprisingly, that does not seem to be the case in Seattle. Over the last two years, more people have been home, so traffic congestion has gone down. However, according to a recent report, the number of people killed in traffic accidents has not gone down.
Preliminary data from the Seattle Department of Transportation shows that 24 people died in traffic accidents in 2020. The number from a year earlier was 26. This means the number of traffic fatalities in 2020 was nearly the same as the number in 2019, despite the reduction in the number of vehicles on the road in 2020. At the same time, the number of collisions that caused serious injury fell in 2020, but the number of fatalities stayed nearly the same.
Seattle has been working with the Vision Zero network, a national campaign which has the objective of eliminating serious traffic injuries and fatalities by the year 2030. The high number of fatalities suggests the city is not making significant progress toward that goal.
Safe streets
According to researchers, it is possible that one of the reasons why the number of fatalities is increasing rather than decreasing is that there are more people who are riding bicycles and walking than in the past.
Another possible explanation is that drivers today are more inclined to distracted driving. That is the case throughout the United States, but it makes sense that it will affect the number of fatalities more in cities in which there is a concentration of traffic.
The issue of speeding vehicles
Another possible explanation is speeding. The Seattle DOT and Washington State DOT are planning to lower the speed limit on state-owned streets in an effort to make them safer for everyone.
If you have lost a loved one in a traffic accident in the Seattle area, you may wish to contact a Seattle lawyer who can help you to obtain fair compensation for the emotional pain, loss of companionship and other damages that you are experiencing because of the loss.
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