CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – A survey conducted on daily driving habits reveals who drove the most miles during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.
In the U.S., drivers between the age of 20 to 34 years old and those who are not college-educated drove longer distances and logged the most daily miles in 2020 and 2021 because they likely had limited work-from-home options, according to a survey conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
The survey also shows that college-educated drivers have reduced their driving time and distance due to remote work options. This group drove longer and farther before the pandemic.
“COVID-19 certainly has had a profound impact on commuter travel,” said Mary Maguire, AAA Northeast Vice President of Public and Government Affairs. “And after a dramatic decrease in travel and commuting in 2020, drivers returned to the road in a big way in 2021 and 2022.”
Even though there were fewer drivers during the pandemic, there has been a significant rise in the number of people killed on the roadways. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates traffic deaths increased in mid- 2020 and continued to rise in 2021, making for the deadliest year on the roads since 2005, and due to a number of factors, including speeding and impairment.
“The survey also indicates our ‘go-to’ fixes for crash and injury prevention aren’t working like they used to,” said Ms. Maguire. “That means to turn the tide on U.S. traffic deaths, traffic safety experts must identify driving solutions targeting demographics overrepresented in crashes.”
