AKRON, Ohio – The number of fatal car crashes in Greater Akron soared during the pandemic in 2020 compared to 2018, even though fewer vehicles were on roadways, according to the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study.
The rise in deaths came during a time when there were notable declines in daily traffic, overall vehicle crashes and crash-related injuries, AMATS said in a release.
No clear explanation exists for the increase in fatalities, AMATS said.
“It is possible that less traffic during the lockdown led to higher speeds and more fatal crashes,” said David Pulay, AMATS transportation improvement program coordinator. “Some drivers mistakenly believed – and many may still believe — that they can drive faster or more recklessly with no consequences.”
The accident and injury numbers might have declined because of COVID-19 restrictions, safety improvement projects and vehicle safety advancements, he said.
In analyzing Ohio Department of Transportation data for AMATS’ 2018-2020 Crash Report, the agency took a close look at 51,000 crash records involving vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.
Using that crash data, AMATS labelled 160 sections of roadway and 202 intersections as high-crash in the Akron region, the agency said.
In Summit County in 2018, 35 vehicle crashes resulted in fatalities, a number that rose to 44 in 2019, AMATS said. In 2020, the number of fatalities leapt to 69, a 97% increase over 2018.
During the three-year period analyzed, daily miles driven on Greater Akron roadways fell from 20,087 miles in 2018 to 17,463 miles in 2020, AMATS said. Most of that drop happened during the COVID lockdown, between 2019 and 2020, when fatalities were highest.
During the same analysis period, the number of accidents also dropped from 18,739 in 2018 to 14,965 in 2020, the agency said, with most of the decline from 2019 to 2020. Injuries from accidents also fell, from 4,262 in 2018 to 3,503 in 2020, with most occurring between 2019 and 2020.
Communities where high-crash areas identified in the AMATS’ crash report are located could apply for funding for safety-improvement projects from the federal Highway Safety Program through ODOT, AMATS said.
The number of bicycle-related accidents also dropped in the three-year analysis period, from 82 in 2018 to 57 in 2020, AMATS said.
Bicycle crashes with injuries dropped from 61 in 2018 to 43 in 2020. Unlike vehicle crashes, bicycle-related crashes with fatalities dropped — from six in 2019 to one in 2020, the agency said.
Pedestrian-related crashes also dropped, AMATS said. Out of 413 pedestrian-related crashes between 2018 and 2020, 340 resulted in an injury and 23 in a fatality.
AMATS identified high-crash areas in the Akron region, in red. (Map courtesy of AMATS)
