Community Editorial Board: Driving during COVID
Jul. 29—Members of our Community Editorial Board, a group of community residents who are engaged with and passionate about local issues, respond to the following question: Research on traffic during and after the coronavirus pandemic shows altered driving patterns and an increase in severe car crashes and fatalities despite fewer drivers being on the road. Your take?
Perceived Behavioral Control, a psychological concept, suggests that an individual's perception of how easy or difficult it is to engage in a specific behavior influences their intentions. In the case of dangerous driving, if people believe they can get away with reckless behavior due to a lack of law enforcement, their sense of control over the situation increases. As a result, they become more likely to indulge in risky driving actions.
The pandemic inadvertently triggered changes in traffic enforcement as well. In the aftermath of high-profile incidents during traffic stops and the George Floyd protests, some cities and states consciously reduced traffic stops for minor violations. The aim was to address racial disparities and limit unnecessary interactions between the police and citizens. While the intent was noble, critics (myself included) think that a certain level of enforcement is necessary to deter more serious violations and maintain road safety. It's not the severity of punishment that deters individuals from breaking traffic laws; instead, it's the certainty of getting caught. I believe this perspective is valid when we consider that deaths on American roads today remain 18% higher than in 2019.
The root of the problem lies in the perception of lax enforcement. When drivers believe they can escape accountability for dangerous behaviors, they're more likely to speed, drive recklessly or flout traffic rules without fear. The diminished fear of getting caught or facing repercussions elevates the likelihood of engaging in hazardous actions.
I think speed enforcement and traffic stops need to make a comeback in the state of Colorado. While I advocate for police training that emphasizes de-escalation and safety during stops, there's also a need to reinstate measures like speed enforcement and traffic stops for technical violations. Striking the right balance between equitable enforcement and road safety can help restore order to our roads and save lives. As we navigate the path to safer roads, let us find the middle ground between enforcement and public safety.
Hernán Villanueva, chvillanuevap@gmail.com
------
The human circulatory system is both a marvel and a good argument against Intelligent Design. It balances precariously on a knife edge between death-by-bleeding and death-by-clotting. At least 50 million people in the U.S. take some kind of blood thinner, mostly aspirin or more powerful prescriptions, to try to keep that balance going as they age. But thanks to that same inexorable aging process — and often poor health choices — it doesn't take much to fall off to either side of the knife.
This cheery thinking about our blood system sounds remarkably like what transportation planners and managers try to do with vehicles and roads. Too many cars and trucks on an existing roadway will cause slowdowns, even to the point of sitting still: A veritable "clot," causing a knock-on series of problems for those trapped in it and the system as a whole. Too few cars, on the other hand, results in a "free-for-all-way," with massive amalgamated hunks of metal, plastic and glass hurtling along and — sadly — more frequently slamming into each other spectacularly, with catastrophic outcomes for all involved.
Unlike cardio docs, the only "drug" that the aforesaid planners and managers have at their disposal is controlling the capacity of the roads for a predicted number of users and vehicles. Hardly an exact science, especially in light of massive disruptions like COVID-19: It should not be a surprise that the sudden excess capacity (kind of like a big dose of blood thinner) resulted in speedier but more dangerous travels.
But, like doctors futilely urging healthy choices, planners and managers can't prescribe for respectful, thoughtful, and alert drivers. If someone is determined to speed, imbibe, read email, do makeup, shave, etc., while operating a big machine, no "drug" in the world will prevent the disaster they choose to cause.
Fintan Steele, fsteele1@me.com
------
CU Boulder economics Professor Jonathan Hughes' recent research findings maybe appear counterintuitive at first glance, but considered more deeply they point to logical outcomes during unusual and strange times we have endured. The pandemic was a confusing, anxious, fearful, disorderly, jumbled and uncertain period. Many of us lost friends, co-workers, neighbors and loved ones directly (from the virus) and indirectly (from fatal car crashes) during this generally morose time. Silver linings were scarce. While the pandemic has been declared over, the virus persists as it threatens immunocompromised members of our community and continues to complicate many aspects of life we may have previously taken for granted.
Among takeaways from Professor Hughes' analysis and from the coronavirus pandemic, I remain optimistic that terrible experiences can inspire deeper caring for one another, greater humility, sharpened compassion and improved empathy that then make our lives and livelihoods better.
Here's where I make a case for how systematic research adds important value to our lives, because this investigation illustrates it. Professor Hughes noted in Olivia Doak's July 19 Daily Camera article that this work was motivated by an interest in helping provide greater understanding that lead to policy actions to reduce fatal car crashes. I hope that will prove to be the case and it feeds into policy and behavioral improvements.
Generally, research can yield new insights into past conditions, present circumstances, future trends and challenges. Findings and explanations from methodical studies give us opportunities to actively unmake or make things better for ourselves as well as others in our shared society. Going forward, research must continue to be supported and funded as a way of learning and knowing along with other ways (e.g. experiential, emotional, visceral and aesthetic) to access and learn about our world as well as how we behave in it.
Max Boykoff, mboykoff@gmail.com
------
Apparently, during the pandemic, people drove faster on emptier streets and highways. A high percentage of fatalities involved impaired drivers (alcohol, drugs, fatigue) and those not wearing seatbelts. In addition, the large, heavy vehicles that are popular in the U.S. make accidents more deadly. From a local point of view, it does seem like we've had more fatal car crashes in the last couple of years, particularly on roads like the Diagonal and 287.
My personal take is that we the people of Boulder need to slow way down. (And wear seatbelts, and not drive when impaired/fatigued.) That's simplistic but in the end, it comes down to the personal choices we make when we drive. Can local government help us travel more safely? Sure. Better bike lanes are key, and municipalities should continue to prioritize improving ease of/access to public transit. I love that RTD buses are free this summer and look forward to the simplified fare schedule. I'm also pumped about the prospect of the Iris Avenue Transportation Improvements Project. Spring through fall, I push the button to cross Iris at Hermosa every day on my way to and from the community garden and observe a variety of blatant and creative traffic violations from running the red light, stopping and then proceeding straight through the red light after I cross, slowing way down in order to proceed through the red light at a "safe" speed, etc.
I'm no different from anyone else. I walk and bike but I also drive plenty, and sometimes a little too fast. When I get impatient and distracted, I try to remind myself that I'm driving through the community I love and in other people's neighborhoods. If I need to vent some energy, I should wait till I'm not behind the wheel of my car.
Diane Schwemm, parksidediane@gmail.com
