The COVID-19 pandemic brought substantial shifts to traffic patterns and safety in Florida’s FDOT District Two, including urban areas like Jacksonville and rural regions such as Bradford and Hamilton Counties. By collecting and analyzing data across three phases— before (2017 – 2019), during (2020 – 2021), and after the pandemic (2022 – 2023)—key insights emerge on how the pandemic impacted road safety in Northeast Florida and what challenges lie ahead.
The Pandemic’s Lasting Impact on Traffic Safety in Northeast Florida
Pre-Pandemic Traffic Safety (2017–2019)
To establish the benchmark, a three-year comparison of crashes was conducted. Before the onset of COVID-19, traffic volumes in District Two were predictable, with congestion most prevalent in urban centers and less severe but faster-moving traffic in rural counties. This period saw a gradual reduction in overall fatal and serious injury crashes due to a combination of improved road infrastructure, enforcement of traffic laws, and public awareness campaigns targeting behaviors like speeding, impaired driving, and seatbelt non-compliance.
One notable trend during this time was the emphasis on motorcycle crashes. From 2017 to 2019, crashes involving motorcycles and mopeds decreased by seventeen percent (17%). Educational campaigns and law enforcement efforts helped mitigate crashes.
Traffic Safety Facts During the Pandemic (2020–2021)
A comparison of crashes during the pandemic to the final year (2019) pre-pandemic was conducted. The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic unexpectedly decreased traffic volume across the country, including in District Two. Remote work, school closures, and stay-at-home orders resulted in fewer cars on the road. However, this drop in traffic did not correlate with a decrease in traffic fatalities. Instead, some motorists drove at higher speeds and displayed dangerous behaviors on less busy roads, increasing the number of severe crashes, especially in rural areas.
The data showed that while areas like Alachua County (-18%) and Bradford County (-36%) saw fewer crashes due to less congestion, the severity of crashes that did occur increased. Fatalities rose three percent (3%) throughout the district, as fewer vehicles and enforcement on the road allowed drivers to engage in riskier behaviors. Speeding (+5%), teen driving (+4%), hit and run (+9%), and impaired (+4%) related crashes contributed to higher-than-expected rates.
Post-Pandemic Traffic Safety (2022–2023)
A comparison of crashes two years after the pandemic to the final year (2019) pre-pandemic was conducted. As Florida began to emerge from the pandemic and traffic volumes returned to pre-2020 levels, the region faced new challenges. Many risky driving behaviors that increased during the pandemic persisted as law enforcement resources remained limited.
Traffic congestion has returned, but the severity of crashes has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. FDOT and local law enforcement agencies have introduced new measures to address the post-pandemic surge in dangerous behaviors, including targeted DUI checkpoints and speed limit adjustments in high-crash areas. However, these measures have yet to reverse the uptick in fatalities.
Duval County Spotlight:
Duval County offers a clear example of the shifts in traffic safety during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, fatal crashes increased by 16%, with DUI-related fatalities spiking by 48% and fatalities involving unrestrained occupants surging by 53%. In the post-pandemic period, fatal crashes rose slightly by 1%, while DUI-related fatalities declined by 5%, and fatalities involving unrestrained occupants still showed a significant increase of 32%. When looking at serious injuries, the pandemic saw an 8% increase in crashes, a 4% rise in DUI-related injuries, and a 39% jump in unrestrained cases. However, in the post-pandemic period, serious injuries related to crashes decreased by 2%, DUI-related injuries dropped sharply by 20%, but unrestrained cases continued to climb by 37%. These figures highlight both the immediate and lingering impacts of the pandemic on traffic safety in Duval County.
Duval County’s data reflects broader national trends observed during and after the pandemic, where reduced traffic volumes created more opportunities for dangerous driving behaviors. During the pandemic, drivers took advantage of emptier roads, leading to higher speeds, increased impairment due to alcohol or drugs, and neglect of seatbelt use. Post-pandemic, while traffic volumes have rebounded, the risky behaviors adopted during the pandemic have proven harder to reverse, especially among unrestrained occupants, even as DUI-related incidents have declined. This highlights the lasting behavioral shifts brought on by the pandemic and the challenges they pose for traffic safety enforcement and education efforts.
Population Trends Play a Factor in Northeast Florida
During the pre-pandemic years, the overall population in District Two increased by 4%. The population increase slowed to an average of 2% during the pandemic years over all 18 counties. In 2021, decreases occurred in five rural counties: Bradford, Hamilton, Lafayette, Taylor, and Union. Post-pandemic population trends saw a 2.5% increase overall. Urban counties, like St. Johns, Nassau, and Duval, continued to lead in population increases. The average trends in Northeast Florida exceed the U.S. National 0.5% average population growth yearly. With the influx of new drivers on our roadways, traffic safety engineering countermeasures, law enforcement, and education are more important than ever.
Focus on Improving Driver Behaviors, Infrastructure, Enforcement, and Education
The COVID-19 pandemic altered traffic safety trends in Northeast Florida. Although traffic volumes have mostly returned to normal, the dangerous driving behaviors that emerged during the pandemic—such as speeding, impaired driving, and seatbelt non-compliance—have left a lasting legacy on the region’s roadways. For FDOT District Two, which encompasses a mix of urban and rural areas, addressing these behaviors requires ongoing infrastructure improvements, targeted enforcement efforts, and public awareness campaigns to reduce fatalities and improve overall safety. This is a balancing act but a needed endeavor to reach the goal of Target Zero.
Source: Signal Four Analytics
Pandemic’s Lasting Impact on Traffic Safety Related Research, Data, and News
- AAA FTS Research Brief | Traffic Safety Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Fatal Crashes in 2020–2022 (PDF)
- The Pandemic’s Tenacious Grip on Traffic Safety | New AAA Research Finds Greatest Harmful Impact on Disadvantaged Communities
- FDOT District Two | Community Traffic Safety Program’s County Crash Data