DETROIT The number of people killed on the nation’s highways rose 4.6% in the first nine months of 2020 despite coronavirus lockdowns that curtailed driving early in the year.
Traffic Deaths Soared Despite Pandemic Lockdowns
Photo: Getty Images (Getty Images)
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1st Gear: Traffic Deaths Up In The U.S.
Autoblog’s subhead is bleak: “More speeding, more drinking, more drugs, less enforcement.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has sounded the alarm before.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 28,190 people died in traffic crashes from January through September of last year, up from 26,941 in the same period of 2019. Final statistics for the full year won’t come out until fall.
If the proposal, Senate Bill 2121, passes this time, drivers could be pulled over and fined $50 if anyone in their vehicle is not wearing a seat belt. North Dakota is one of just 15 states without a primary enforcement seat-belt law, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
NCSHP urges drivers to stay safe over the holiday season wfmynews2.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wfmynews2.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Suspended Road Tests Give Teens Easier Route to Licenses
A 14-year-old girl in Guttenberg, Iowa, works with her driver’s education instructor. Several other states are allowing teens to get their licenses without having to take a road test.
Jessica Reilly
Telegraph Herald via The Associated Press
Teens across the country waiting anxiously to get their driver’s licenses were disappointed when most state motor vehicle departments suspended road testing for weeks and sometimes for months after the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March.
While many states have since returned to road testing, several others have opted to waive that requirement and allow teens to get their license anyway, at least for a time.