Changes in speeding on Virginia roads during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objective

We investigated changes in the prevalence of speeding during March–June 2020, the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, in Virginia.

Methods

Vehicle speed data from 506 permanent speed counter stations around the state collected during March–June 2019 and March–June 2020 were analyzed.

Results

Increases in the proportion of vehicles traveling at least 5 mph and 10 mph above the speed limit were greatest on urban interstates and other freeways, during early morning (6:00–8:59 a.m.) and afternoon commuting hours (3:00–5:59 p.m.) on weekdays, and during afternoons (12:00–5:59 p.m.) on weekends. Logistic regression revealed that the risk of speeding by at least 5 mph increased in 2020 by 22% and by at least 10 mph increased 51% after accounting for road type, time of day, day of week, and traffic volume, relative to 2019.

Discussion

Future research should continue to identify where and when speeding problems are most severe, and countermeasures should be directed to the roads and time periods with the largest speeding problems.

Keywords:

• Driver behavior
• speeding
• speed limit compliance
• COVID-19
• roadway characteristics
• functional classification
• time of day
• day of week

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank VDOT for providing us with the raw data sets and our colleague Aimee Cox for collecting the speed limit data.

Funding

This work was supported by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.