US motorists speed as fewer cars on road due to coronavirus lockdown

Cameras gave almost 25,000 tickets in NYC on March 27 alone. "Now that the streets are empty, the Fast and Furious wannabes really think they're living in a video game."

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Miami Dade Police car, illustrative (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Miami Dade Police car, illustrative
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
As coronavirus lockdowns across the United States continue to force people inside and off the roads and highways, those who remain are driving at dangerously high speeds, according to a CNN report.
Highways officials from various states have reported a "severe spike in speeding" during the coronavirus lockdown, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association, a nonprofit representing safety officials. According to the GHSA, there have been numerous reports of drivers reaching speeds of 100 mph (160 kph) or higher in major cities. 
New York councilman Justin Brannan, in response to the report, said that "now that the streets are empty, the Fast and Furious wannabes really think they're living in a video game."
Similarly, the traffic analytics firm INRIX noted that drivers in cities like Chicago and Los Angeles have reached speeds 75% higher than what is typical prior to the pandemic, suggesting that many are taking advantage or lower levels of traffic congestion. 
In one case, a motorcyclists was seen driving at 172 mph (276 kph) by a police officer in Sandy Springs, Georgia. "Our officer couldn't even attempt to go after it. He didn't have a chance," Sandy Springs Police Sgt. Salvador Ortega told CNN affiliate WGLC.
In New York City, automated speeding cameras issued 24,765 tickets throughout the city on March 27, according to the GHSA. Data from the National Safety Council show that over 9,300 people died in speeding-related accidents in 2018 throughout the US.