Business
Verra Mobility Reminds Americans to Drive Safely During Memorial Day Weekend
Data Shows Despite Fewer Cars on the Roads, Dangerous Speeding and Red-Light Running are on the Rise Nationally MESA, Ariz., May 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A
About this update from Verra Mobility Corporation
[{"type":"text","content":"Data Shows Despite Fewer Cars on the Roads, Dangerous Speeding and Red-Light Running are on the Rise Nationally\n\n\nMESA, Ariz., May 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent analysis by smart and safe transportation mobility provider Verra Mobility has identified very troubling trends on U.S. roadways. Despite fewer vehicles on the roads, the average speed and number of citations for speeding and red-light running has increased during the shelter-in-place policies enacted in many cities and states nationwide. These dangerous behaviors are creating havoc on roadways in many U.S. cities. As the nation prepares for Memorial Day weekend—historically, one of the biggest travel weekends of the year—Verra Mobility wants to remind drivers to travel safely.\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \nTopline Takeaways: \nSpeeding and red-light running are up despite there being significantly less cars on the road as a result of the pandemic. Those speeding are also traveling at significantly higher rates of speed, with a large increase of drivers exceeding legal speed limits by more than 20 MPH.Recent video of high speed red-light runners and dangerous speeders is available here: https://youtu.be/xUYEClUqU5w and includes footage from safety camera programs in the following cities including: \nMiami Gardens, FL New Orleans, FL Orlando, FL Orlando, FL Granite City, IL Lakeland, FL Wilmington, NC Baton Rouge, LAData Breakdown\nDespite a 45 percent decrease in traffic volume at more than 4,000 monitored red-light and speed locations, Verra Mobility has seen a 16 percent increase in violation speeds. Likewise, the number of speed citations issued since the pandemic started has also increased by more than 10 percent. With fewer vehicles on the road, drivers are driving more recklessly with sometimes deadly consequences.\nThe most dangerous situations often arise from vehicles traveling in excess of 20 MPH over the posted speed limit. The number of violations for this category have increased by nearly 40 percent when comparing violations issued in April 2020 to April 2019. During that same time period the number of vehicles, which are very closely linked to the number of people, cited for traveling in excess of 20 MPH over the posted speed limit has increased by nearly 240 percent from 4,000 to 16,000. While road safety cameras cannot prevent drivers from breaking the...