Quarterly Reports > April 2021

Quarterly Report on Traffic Developments

Purpose Abbreviations Key Takeaways Topline Summary Overview Go Safe Labs' Research Information Appendix

Topline Summary

  • 2020 Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) dropped 400B miles to 2.8T, lowest since 2002

  • Americans drove an average of 348M less trips a day, year-over-year

  • Stay at home surged to 25% of the population

  • Monthly VMT plummeted in April, VMT remains ~10-15% lower through winter

  • Plummeting accident volumes remain depressed below VMT recovery

  • Traffic pattern changes have generated vast drops in property-damage and minor injury accident levels

  • Consistent with past recessions, high levels of unemployment correlate with overall increased traffic safety

  • Normalized fatalities/serious injury rates surged 30-50%, driven by intoxicants, speeding, and seatbelt misuse