The stay at home order for Minnesota was issued by Governor Tim Walz on March 28th, introducing a mandatory quarantine for non-essential activities statewide. While this was in response to COVID-19, the quarantine itself produced some interesting statistics. With travel restricted, there were far fewer cars on the road throughout the summer. Nelson Personal Injury takes a look at what this reduced traffic and travel meant for Minnesota’s Car Accident rate, and how it affects commutes.
Fewer Drivers Going Faster
According to an article published by the Star Tribune, traffic on highways significantly decreased during Gov. Walz’s stay-at-home order, the speed of the motorists on the highway also went up. This led to an increase in fatal crashes on Minnesota roadways over the stay-at-home period. For the same period last year, the number of car accidents that resulted in fatalities was 12. This year, for that same period, it was 24. Even with the increased fatalities, there is good news for Minnesota motorists. While speeding is on the rise, drunk driving during the stay-at-home order was down significantly.
What Does It Mean For Your Commute?
As more and more people return to the roads and traffic gradually increases, there will be several lasting effects of this quarantine on your daily commute. While there will still be cars breaking the speed limit, with increased traffic they will have less room to run. Unfortunately, that does mean the return of 5 o’clock traffic. Traffic enforcement will also likely be heavier and looking out for reckless drivers as well as those breaking the speed limit. So when you return to the roadways, make sure you watch the speedometer.
Professional Personal Injury Attorneys
If you or a loved one has suffered due to a reckless driver, no matter if it was during the stay-at-home period or not, you deserve compensation for your injuries. At Nelson Personal Injury, we treat your case as if it were our only case. We provide assistance at every turn, a combined 30 years of car accident personal injury experience, and a personal touch. Get the compensation you deserve from a car accident today by contacting the attorneys at Nelson Personal Injury. Get a free case evaluation, and learn more, by visiting our website https://nelsonpersonalinjury.com/.
