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I find this both surprising and not. Early in the pandemic, when most everything was shut down, I had to run an errand and ended up driving down some streets I

I find this both surprising and not. Early in the pandemic, when most everything was shut down, I had to run an errand and ended up driving down some streets I’ve driven many times before. The percentage of cars driving erratically on the road was much higher than usual. I figure one of these might explain it: 1. People are stressed / distracted, and driving poorly because of it 2. Most drivers are well-meaning and conscientious, but most of those conscientious people were staying at home as public health officials directed, so the few people left on the road were more disproportionately less conscientious 3. Fewer cars on the road meant I noticed the bad drivers more readily Other hypotheses?

belltaco 5y ago
There was fewer pull overs by law enforcement on the roads because of risk of covid spread, at least initially. Drug and alcohol use is up, due to lack of entertainment outside the home, and that affects driving as well. More speeding or racing for thrill seeking as a result of boredom. Many new drivers for Amazon Prime, Uber Eats, Fedex/USPS etc. who are under time pressure to deliver fast, which they're not used to.
DangitBobby 5y ago
There was another article posted recently which explained that suburban traffic patterns changed so there was a lot more traffic congestion in the afternoons in suburban areas, while roads such as interstates and highways had lower than normal peak traffic. Having more traffic concentrated in areas not designed for heavy traffic could explain it.
bredren 5y ago
Early on in the initial outbreak, I also noticed what sometimes felt like lawless driving in comparison to before. For example, people treating a red light as a four way stop, or just slowing down and running through it. It didn't last very long as far as I observed, but it definitely was a thing in Portland. At the time I thought it was because there were so few cars on the road. Your point, 2. seems like a solid explanation to me. In some cases it wasn't just that drivers were "not as conscientious," but more actively taking advantage of a lower amount of vehicles and LE patrol. There is some evidence of this from the multiple record-breaking Cannonball Run challenges performed in May and June 2020 with no new records recorded since. [1] Another explanation is that well-meaning drivers were treating urban driving the way folks do out in rural areas, where stop signs are sort of followed "as appropriate" by locals. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannonball_Run_challenge#During_the_COVID-19_Pandemic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannonball_Run_challenge#Durin...

belltaco 5y ago

There was fewer pull overs by law enforcement on the roads because of risk of covid spread, at least initially. Drug and alcohol use is up, due to lack of entertainment outside the home, and that affects driving as well. More speeding or racing for thrill seeking as a result of boredom. Many new drivers for Amazon Prime, Uber Eats, Fedex/USPS etc. who are under time pressure to deliver fast, which they're not used to.

DangitBobby 5y ago

There was another article posted recently which explained that suburban traffic patterns changed so there was a lot more traffic congestion in the afternoons in suburban areas, while roads such as interstates and highways had lower than normal peak traffic. Having more traffic concentrated in areas not designed for heavy traffic could explain it.

bredren 5y ago

Early on in the initial outbreak, I also noticed what sometimes felt like lawless driving in comparison to before. For example, people treating a red light as a four way stop, or just slowing down and running through it. It didn't last very long as far as I observed, but it definitely was a thing in Portland. At the time I thought it was because there were so few cars on the road. Your point, 2. seems like a solid explanation to me. In some cases it wasn't just that drivers were "not as conscientious," but more actively taking advantage of a lower amount of vehicles and LE patrol. There is some evidence of this from the multiple record-breaking Cannonball Run challenges performed in May and June 2020 with no new records recorded since. [1] Another explanation is that well-meaning drivers were treating urban driving the way folks do out in rural areas, where stop signs are sort of followed "as appropriate" by locals. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannonball_Run_challenge#During_the_COVID-19_Pandemic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannonball_Run_challenge#Durin...