Are You Forgetting The Rules of the Road? Blame COVID

There's the old expression, "It's just like riding a bike," but that's certainly not the case here.

It appears as though some drivers have forgotten the "Rules of the Road" as a result of the global pandemic.  In fact, drivers may actually be using COVID-19 as an excuse for their poor driving skills since they haven't been on the road as much and have definitely been driving less frequently.

During the COVID-19 quarantine period, there were very few drivers on the road throughout the United States.  If anything, it was a great time to practice safe, responsible driving.  There was virtually no traffic, and people really didn't have any place to go.  Now that most COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, more cars are back on the streets and ultimately more "bad drivers."

According to an article from Penn Live, an AAA spokesperson, Jana Tidwell explains that drivers, who have only been occasionally behind the wheel for the last two and a half months or so, are use to lighter traffic.  This may result in a short attention span while on the road.  Drivers are simply of practice.

These days, drivers most likely not used to heavy traffic on the roads. Traffic keeps drivers consistent when it comes to speed.  However, when there is little traffic,  drivers can lose their focus and become distracted. Jana Tidwell explains to Penn Live, "Traffic can be a calming mechanism.  When there are multiple vehicles on the road, they tend to drive around the same speed. When you’re one of very few drivers on the road, it can be very easy to become distracted and not realize how fast you’re going. And, before you realize, you’re far exceeding the speed limit.”

I'm not saying that the global pandemic is an excuse if you get a speeding ticket, but it is a reasonable argument. You are simply out of practice, and practice makes perfect I suppose.

On a positive note, the South Dakota Department of Public Safety reported 625 car crashes in Sioux Falls between March 1st, 2020 through May 11th, 2020.  That's down a whopping 56% down from 2019.  During that time period last year, there were 1,115 car crashes in Sioux Falls.

How often were you driving during the COVID-19 pandemic?