Drivers: Please slow down

In one of those ironies of life, while far more people are working from home and there are fewer cars on the road, the rates of serious injury crash have actually increased, according to the Austin Transportation Department. Why would that be? It’s really quite simple: The data indicate that people who caused recent serious collisions seem to be driving faster. The department has started airing Vision Zero messages locally urging motorists to be more careful “so that health care providers can focus on the crisis at hand rather than injuries from avoidable car crashes.” Austin Transportation Director Robert Spillar said, “The strongest safety message we can send during Covid-19 is to stay at home. If you need to go out – walk, drive, or ride carefully and respectfully. This is about all our safety. It’s a small sacrifice to make to do your part during this terrible crisis.”