Across the country, driving was down in 2020 but fatal car crashes increased. South Dakota was no exception.
The data was surprising and alarming to analysts who want to know why.
South Dakota recorded 141 vehicular fatalities last year. That’s 38 percent more than 2019 and the highest number since 2007.
But in a year when people were driving less and staying home more due to the pandemic, why did fatal crashes increase?
Ken Kolosh is the manager of statistics for the National Safety Council, a nonprofit that advocates for eliminating preventable injuries and deaths. He says the data points to three main factors: alcohol consumption, speeding, and not wearing a seat belt. He says the statistics were shocking.
“During a recession there's fewer miles being driven. There's less speeding, often, recessions coincide with higher gas prices. People don't drive on vacation and generally our roads get safer. That is completely the opposite of what we saw here, no one expected, we have never seen such dramatic shifts in driving habits. Usually, recession periods have changes that occur over months or even a year. Well, really, the changes that we experienced during the pandemic occurred almost overnight.”
He says they are still trying to understand why.
“This is all preliminary. And we're still learning every day. And it may be surprising, but we are even going to get the final fatality numbers until around November or December. This research is not going to end anytime soon. This has been the historic safety issue of our time,”
NPR reported earlier this year that fewer cars on the road may have lead to riskier driving behavior.
Amanda Hossle is the director of the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety. She says it’s difficult to say if the pandemic directly affected the increase in fatal crashes. But she says it’s clear more public education is needed.
“The important thing that the Department of Public Safety is working on is continuing our public education and informational programs that are designed to encourage people to be safe drivers. And encourage drivers to ultimately change their driving behaviors, from riskier drivers to safer drivers out on the road.”
Overall, road safety had been trending up until last year. Researchers hope 2020 was just an outlier.