California Highway Patrol officer Matthew Musselmann uses a lidar gun for speed detection along Interstate 5 freeway, Thursday, April 23, 2020, in Anaheim, Calif.
California Highway Patrol officer Matthew Musselmann uses a lidar gun for speed detection along Interstate 5 freeway, Thursday, April 23, 2020, in Anaheim, Calif. The CHP is issuing a lot more tickets to motorists where lanes are wide open during the coronavirus pandemic. From March 19, when the stay-at-home order began, through April 19, officers issued 87% more citations to drivers suspected of speeding in excess of 100 mph. That's compared to the same period last year. The jump in speeding tickets coincides with a 35% decline in traffic volume.
AP Photo/Chris Carlson
  • More than 38,000 traffic deaths were recorded in the US in 2020.
  • The California Highway Patrol issued 2,493 citations for speeding over 100 mph during the first month of the state's lockdown.
  • Over one weekend in April 2020, street-racing incidents in Dallas resulted in 224 citations and one death.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Despite the pandemic significantly emptying roadways, traffic data shows the number of highway deaths in 2020 was the greatest in more than a decade due to higher average speeds, motorists driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and a slight decline in seatbelt use, the Associated Press reported.

Estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show nationwide traffic deaths in 2020 grew 7.2% to 38,680, even though there was a 13.2% reduction in miles traveled, according to AP.

From March 19, the day California's stay-at-home order began, to April 19, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) issued 2,493 citations statewide for speeding more than 100 mph, as compared to 1,335 during the same period the previous year, according to a CHP press release from April 2020.

"It is alarming to see the number of citations officers are writing for excessive speeds on California roadways," CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said in the press release. "Higher speeds can lead to much more serious injuries and significantly increase the chance of death should a crash occur. Keep yourself and those on the road around you safe. Slow down and drive at a safe, legal speed."

California isn't the only state experiencing this trend: Business Insider reporter Kristen Lee also spoke to officers in Texas and Georgia about their experiences patrolling during the early months of the pandemic.

While speeding citations decreased overall in Georgia, the over-100-mph citations increased by 60% during the first 12 days of the state's lockdown, Business Insider reported. In April 2020, the Dallas Morning News reported on a series of street-racing incidents over one weekend resulting in 224 citations and one death.

"While there is less traffic on the road, it does not give you free rein to speed. You're putting your life and other motorists' lives in danger," Lt. Stephanie L. Stallings, the public information director with the Georgia State Patrol, told Business Insider.

Read the original article on Insider