The newest report on crash statistics in Sacramento is out and the news isn’t good. According to the report, the 3,842 motor vehicle accidents in Sacramento are the most since before 2017. In fact, the number is nearly 200 higher than in 2019, before the pandemic took millions of cars off the road for months at time. So, why are these numbers climbing? Isn’t driving supposed to be getting safer? There are no easy answers, but there are some theories.
Increased Cell Phone Use
Motor vehicle drivers are using their cell phones while operating the vehicle more frequently, which is a major factor in why the number of car crashes are increasing even as vehicles are adding more safety features. Experts say that people look at the space inside of their cars as their own and they want to do whatever they feel like doing while they’re in that space. This includes dangerous activities like texting, watching videos, reading articles, and other distractions.
Everyone knows it’s not safe to use a cell phone while they’re driving, so why do they continue to do it? It’s simple, really. They don’t want to miss out on anything that is going on with their friends and family members while they’re driving. This “fear of missing out” or FOMO is so strong that it’s causing people to behave dangerously even though they recognize the danger of doing so.
Reckless Driving is On the Rise
An interesting phenomenon occurred during the pandemic. When the streets were relatively empty, those who did drive became more emboldened to exceed the speed limit, dart in and out of lanes without looking, and essentially act like they were the only drivers on the road. They believed their risk of getting into an accident was so low that they could take bigger chances with their speed. Now that more vehicles have returned to the streets, these drivers are used to driving recklessly, but now they most definitely aren’t alone as they barrel down the highway.
Additionally, people are generally becoming less patient as drivers and this is leading to an increase in road rage. When a person is afflicted with road rage, they are more likely to drive recklessly to achieve whatever it is that is making them angry. Maybe they speed to catch up with another vehicle that cut them off or they dart around stopped traffic because they don’t want to wait for the jam to clear. Whatever the reckless behavior is, it undoubtedly raises the risk of an accident.
Heavier and Faster Cars
The final major factor that experts believe is leading to an increase in car crashes is that vehicles are at an all-time high in terms of weight and horsepower. Not only does this mean that drivers can drive faster on roads and speed is the number one factor in car accidents, but it also means that if a vehicle collides with another car or truck, the damage is going to be much worse because of the combined weights of the automobiles.
Conclusion
When car accident numbers plummeted in 2020, cities like Sacramento hoped they would remain low. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened and now city officials need to take steps to make driving on their roads safer for their residents.