BOSTON Warning that roadway deaths remained nearly unchanged during the pandemic despite a significant drop in traffic, Gov. Charlie Baker unveiled a suite of safety reforms Monday including red-light
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The administration s latest push for traffic law updates lands in a significantly different environment than some of the provisions Baker targeted last session, altered by the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on travel patterns across Massachusetts.
The statewide average of vehicle miles traveled, which counts all trips made by motor vehicles, dropped sharply in March 2020 as many businesses either closed or shifted to remote working options, according to Department of Transportation data. Although traffic has rebounded in some areas, the weekday average vehicle miles traveled at the start March 2021 remained about 38 percent lower than before the pandemic.
However, the decline in car travel did not translate into a decline in roadway deaths. Baker said 334 people died on Massachusetts roads over the past year, only two fewer than the 336 in 2019. Most of the crashes in the past year were single-car accidents with speeding as a primary factor, he said.
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Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced a package of road safety legislation that would allow police to stop drivers for not wearing a seatbelt and allow cities and towns to use red light cameras, among other measures.
Baker announced he will re-file several provisions aimed at improving road safety during a Monday press conference, including more stringent penalties for people who injure others while driving with a suspended license and updates language around commercial driver s licenses. The measures were previously filed by the Administration in 2019. Download our mobile app for iOS or Android to get alerts for local breaking news and weather.