In June, we shared vehicle traffic data from Streetlight, a company that uses smartphone locations to estimate how many miles are being traveled on every road in America. The data estimated that at the peak of the COVID-19 virus in New York State, traffic in the Mid-Hudson Valley decreased by as much as 75% year over year.
The decrease in traffic didn’t necessarily reduce the number of car accidents in the Hudson Valley, as reports from other regions showed that the reduction in traffic led to drivers speeding more and taking more risks, resulting in more personal injury accidents. However, we will have to wait a while to get data for the Mid-Hudson region to confirm this.
Now that the Hudson Valley is in various states of re-opening, we decided to look at some more data from Streetlight to see what has changed.
Ulster County Motor Vehicle Traffic Changes During COVID
In early March, it looked like year over year traffic in Ulster County could increase by as much as 50%. After a massive reduction through April and May, traffic started to recover in June. Today, the miles traveled data is suggesting that traffic in Ulster County has increased by as much as 75% since the same time last year.
Orange County Motor Vehicle Traffic Changes During COVID
In Orange County, motor vehicle traffic has had a slower recovery than in Ulster. It took until July to reach the same levels as last year, and now is showing a 10-15% increase over last year in August.
Dutchess County Motor Vehicle Traffic Changes During COVID
In Dutchess County, traffic recovery has tracked faster than Orange County; it reached normal levels in June and now is roughly 20-25% higher than the same time last year.
What does more traffic mean for personal injury accidents in the Hudson Valley?
Some of the ways that more traffic could affect our community:
- Roadway maintenance and design issues could increase accidents; there will be more wear and tear on the roads, and some of our intersections were not designed for this much traffic
- Drivers who don’t know the local roads may get into more accidents
- Higher traffic may result in lower average speeds, possibly causing more accidents that are less serious
- Roadways and intersections may be more treacherous and cause motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents and pedestrian accidents
What to Do if You Get Into a Car Accident
Did you get injured in an accident because of another driver’s negligence? Give us a call at 845-600-0000 to get a free consultation. Our legal team has decades of experience pushing back against insurance companies to get our clients the compensation they deserve.