Hi, Folks,

Tonight after dark, at the close of “Earth Day”, might be a good time to take a walk and see how the stars now shine so much more brightly.  As a result of the Governor’s “Shelter in place” order, not only does California have cleaner, clearer air, the Road Ecology Center at UC Davis has just found*:

• reduced numbers of automobile crashes, including injury/fatal crashes, on state highways and rural roads;
• collisions and especially injury and fatality collisions have been reduced by half, from ~1,000 crashes and ~400 injury/fatal crashes per day to 500 and 200 per day, respectively;
• resulting savings to the public of about $40 million/day, or $1 billion since the order went into effect;
  fewer people treated by Sacramento region hospitals and trauma centers for crash-related injuries;
• traffic volumes as much as 55% lower on certain highways after the order.

Perhaps the adversity we’re experiencing will help us to reimagine and eventually attain better ways to care for ourselves and our only earth.

Dave

Watt Avenue bridge over the American River: 100,000 vehicles per day prior to the “Stay in place” order. ©David Dawson, 2020

*Special Report(Update): Impact of COVID19 Mitigation on Numbers and Costs of California Traffic Crashes, UC Davis Road Ecology Center, 4/1/20 (updated 4/15/20) https://roadecology.ucdavis.edu/files/content/projects/COVID_CHIPs_Impacts_updated_415.pdf