Pandemic Year Proves More Lethal For Crashes Caused By Speeding

NEW YORK — The pandemic may have slowed many things down in New York in 2020, but in one area the reverse was true.

Unsafe speed was a contributing factor in 314 fatal crashes in 2020, compared to 230 fatal crashes in 2019 - a 36 percent increase, according to the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research at the University at Albany's Rockefeller College.

Those 314 fatal crashes last year resulted in 365 deaths including drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

"Speeding kills," New York State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen said in an announcement about Speed Awareness Week. "We want drivers to slow down, put the electronic devices away and pay attention out on our roads. Attentive, responsible, defensive driving is the key to avoiding crashes and keeping our roads and highways safe for all that travel them."

So New York State Police and local law enforcement are mounting a mid-summer crackdown on speeders. They will increase patrols to target speeding from July 31 to Aug. 8.

Data shows fatal crashes in New York caused by unsafe speed increase during the summer months with the highest totals in June through October, officials said.

"Speeding is an all-too-common practice on our roads, and what drivers often forget is how dangerous it is and how much it puts everyone at risk," said Mark Schroeder, Department of Motor Vehicles commissioner and chair of the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee. "Shaving a few minutes off your commute or your trip is not worth a lifetime of guilt and regret from a speeding-related tragedy."

During last year's Speed Awareness Week, law enforcement throughout New York issued 21,428 tickets for speeding and 30,273 tickets for other vehicle and traffic law violations, such as impaired and distracted driving.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding causes:

• Greater potential for loss of vehicle control
• Reduced effectiveness of occupant protection equipment
• Increased stopping distance after the driver perceives a danger
• Increased degree of crash severity leading to more severe injuries
• Increased fuel consumption/cost

Speed was a contributing factor in 26 percent of all traffic fatalities nationally in 2019, the NHTSA said.

"Our message is simple: slow down and drive responsibly," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. "Too often, speeding leads to avoidable and deadly consequences, and it won't be tolerated. Trying to get to your destination quicker is not worth putting yourself, your passengers, and all those sharing the road in danger."

State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez had a special request.

"I urge all New Yorkers to drive cautiously and abide by posted speed limits, especially when driving in a work zone. Our highway workers perform important work so that we can all get where we need to go safely," she said. "Respect their efforts by slowing down and moving over so they too can return home safely each day."