You have heard of drunk driving, and you have heard of distracted driving, but have you heard of pandemic-fatigued driving? The pandemic has gone on longer than most of us expected, and it has changed our approach to work, leisure, and communication, so it is unsurprising that there have been some changes in traffic accident trends. As California has seen surges in case numbers, far-reaching shutdowns, and re-openings of public places, people have struggled to maintain a consistent level of caution. Many people have followed a cycle of hypervigilance, hubris, and apathy, and this has played out in their driving behavior as well as in their infection control efforts. Certain high-risk driving behaviors decreased in 2020 in San Jose and other large cities, while others increased. If you have been injured in a car accident under any circumstances, contact a San Jose car accident lawyer.
In general, the pandemic has meant less traffic, and anyone who has sat through Silicon Valley rush hour can tell you that a reduction in traffic flow is a good thing. At the beginning of the pandemic, the smog lifted to such an extent that some journalists wondered if a long-term trend toward working from home could stem the tide of climate change. Likewise, when bars are closed or operating at reduced capacity, there are fewer opportunities to drive drunk. Simply put, the more you stay home, the less your risk of getting injured in a car accident.
As a report published around New Year’s by the New York Times noted, there is a downside to all those roads that were built for heavy traffic suddenly being empty. The allure of the open road for fast cars is well known, especially in California. Major cities saw an increase in drag racing in 2020, as there was a greater chance for would-be drag racers to find an empty stretch of road on which to race. Whether or not the drivers were drag racing, police also issued a record number of speeding tickets in cases where the driver’s speed exceeded 100 miles per hour. When there is nowhere to go, you might as well go for a drive, and if breathing is dangerous, is driving at 100 miles per hour that much more dangerous?
Meanwhile, not everyone who picked up a pandemic hobby chose baking or scrapbooking; some people chose motorcycle riding. Motorcycle accidents increased in 2020 in many places. A large number of these motorcycle accidents involved riders who did not have motorcycle licenses.
These trends may say something about the ways in which people are coping with the pandemic, but to personal injury lawyers, they mean only one thing: negligence. If the person who caused your car accident was speeding or driving a vehicle they are not licensed to operate, the evidence is clear that their negligence directly caused your injuries. To find out more about how proving negligence translates into getting money, contact a personal injury lawyer.
A San Jose car accident lawyer can help you recover damages if you have been injured by a driver who was traveling at dangerous speeds. Contact Solution Now Law Firm for a consultation.
Solution Now Law Firm
N/a
