COVID Economy

[Billy Hoyle]

From the NYT morning news:

Traffic deaths are surging during the pandemic.
‘Social disengagement’
The United States is enduring its most severe increase in traffic deaths since the 1940s.

It is a sharp change from the recent norm, too. Deaths from vehicle crashes have generally been falling since the late 1960s, thanks to vehicle improvements, lower speed limits and declines in drunken driving, among other factors. By 2019, the annual death rate from crashes was near its lowest level since cars became a mass item in the 1920s.

But then came the Covid-19 pandemic.

Crashes — and deaths — began surging in the summer of 2020, surprising traffic experts who had hoped that relatively empty roads would cause accidents to decline. Instead, an increase in aggressive driving more than made up for the decline in driving. And crashes continued to increase when people returned to the roads, later in the pandemic.

Per capita vehicle deaths rose 17.5 percent from the summer of 2019 to last summer, according to a Times analysis of federal data. It is the largest two-year increase since just after World War II.

This grim trend is another way that two years of isolation and disruption have damaged life, as this story — by my colleague Simon Romero, who’s a national correspondent — explains. People are frustrated and angry, and those feelings are fueling increases in violent crime, customer abuse of workers, student misbehavior in school and vehicle crashes.

“We’re seeing erratic behavior in the way people are acting and their patience levels,” Albuquerque’s police chief, Harold Medina, told Simon. “Everybody’s been pushed. This is one of the most stressful times in memory.”

Art Markman, a cognitive scientist at the University of Texas at Austin, said that the emotions partly reflected “two years of having to stop ourselves from doing things that we’d like to do.” He added: “When you get angry in the car, it generates energy — and how do you dissipate that energy? Well, one way is to put your foot down a little bit more on the accelerator.”

Rising drug abuse during the pandemic seems to play an important role, as well. The U.S. Department of Transportation has reported that “the proportion of drivers testing positive for opioids nearly doubled after mid-March 2020, compared to the previous 6 months, while marijuana prevalence increased by about 50 percent.” (Mid-March 2020 is when major Covid mitigations began.)

Other factors besides the pandemic also affect traffic deaths, of course. But those other factors tend to change slowly — and often counteract each other. Improving technology and safety features reduce traffic deaths, while the growing size of vehicles and the rise of distracted driving lead to more deaths. The only plausible explanation for most of the recent surge is the pandemic.

time to put those cars in jail and sue them for everything they have. Damn out of control killer cars.

I like how the opioid crisis is just buried in there and fentanyl is ignored. No, no issues with either high drivers or record numbers of addicts on the street living on the streets.

[Uncle Rico]

time to put those cars in jail and sue them for everything they have. Damn out of control killer cars.

I like how the opioid crisis is just buried in there and fentanyl is ignored. No, no issues with either high drivers or record numbers of addicts on the street living on the streets.

Yes, there are no articles to be found about the opioid crisis anywhere. 

[Pakuni]

time to put those cars in jail and sue them for everything they have. Damn out of control killer cars.

Do you ever think before you post?

I like how the opioid crisis is just buried in there and fentanyl is ignored. No, no issues with either high drivers or record numbers of addicts on the street living on the streets.

It's literally the second reason cited for the increase, behind aggressive/erratic driving.
See my earlier question.

[Pakuni]

Yes, there are no articles to be found about the opioid crisis anywhere.

There's an opioid crisis?
Why hasn't this been in the news?

[TSmith34, Inc.]

time to put those cars in jail and sue them for everything they have. Damn out of control killer cars.

I like how the opioid crisis is just buried in there and fentanyl is ignored. No, no issues with either high drivers or record numbers of addicts on the street living on the streets.

Right, because the story doesn't contain this paragraph:

"Rising drug abuse during the pandemic seems to play an important role, as well. The U.S. Department of Transportation has reported that “the proportion of drivers testing positive for opioids nearly doubled after mid-March 2020, compared to the previous 6 months, while marijuana prevalence increased by about 50 percent.” (Mid-March 2020 is when major Covid mitigations began.)"

Why doesn't the Bailbonds family ever read the actual information in links?

[Uncle Rico]

Lol

[🏀]

time to put those cars in jail and sue them for everything they have. Damn out of control killer cars.

I like how the opioid crisis is just buried in there and fentanyl is ignored. No, no issues with either high drivers or record numbers of addicts on the street living on the streets.

You’re cute, just like pops, posting from your head firmly lodged up your pretty boy.

[rocky_warrior]

What's an opioid?

[Hards Alumni]

What's an opioid?

I think it's the reason we have inflation. 

[tower912]

What's an opioid?

A huge fan of a young Ron Howard.

[JWags85]

You’re cute, just like pops, posting from your head firmly lodged up your pretty boy.

This is a no judgement zone man. Love is love, whoever you choose

[MU82]

From The AP:

Estimated 73% of US now immune to omicron

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-united-states-3e7ab3f74080bac8480aa6de3e65ecce?user_email=6647dfa7189f748384d7389910f7b584c6fcfc35ae990102964c7e826d4175c7&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MorningWire_Feb17&utm_term=Morning%20Wire%20Subscribers

The omicron wave that assaulted the United States this winter also bolstered its defenses, leaving enough protection against the coronavirus that future spikes will likely require much less — if any — dramatic disruption to society.

Millions of individual Americans’ immune systems now recognize the virus and are primed to fight it off if they encounter omicron, or even another variant.

About half of eligible Americans have received booster shots, there have been nearly 80 million confirmed infections overall and many more infections have never been reported. One influential model uses those factors and others to estimate that 73% of Americans are, for now, immune to omicron, the dominant variant, and that could rise to 80% by mid-March.

This will prevent or shorten new illnesses in protected people and reduce the amount of virus circulating overall, likely tamping down new waves. Hospitals will get a break from overwhelmed ICUs, experts agree.

“We have changed,” said Ali Mokdad, a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. “We have been exposed to this virus and we know how to deal with it.”

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Many colleges & universities are looking at ways to sensibly unwind Covid restrictions over the next few weeks.  UW System is mapping a way to be completely maskless by the end of spring break.

[4everwarriors]

Allow me to suggest disengagin' da left earloop, then disengage da right earloop. Now, grasp the mask either with both hands or with one hand, and pull forward. Shockingly and painlessly, the student is now maskless, hey?

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

OK, a better way to state this is that looking at stepping down regulations over time, from those that are the least risky to those that are the most risky.,

[🏀]

Many colleges & universities are looking at ways to sensibly unwind Covid restrictions over the next few weeks.  UW System is mapping a way to be completely maskless by the end of spring break.

Three total kids in preschool today, 10 days after dropping masks. School bus for the second grader has been 15 minutes early all week.

[MU82]

Three total kids in preschool today, 10 days after dropping masks. School bus for the second grader has been 15 minutes early all week.

Because kids got Covid? Teachers got it? Parents declined to send their kids?

[🏀]

Because kids got Covid? Teachers got it? Parents declined to send their kids?

Doesn’t sound like too much COVID, just general coughs, colds and runny noses that are zero tolerance. As they should be.

Masks though, worked.

[MU82]

Doesn’t sound like too much COVID, just general coughs, colds and runny noses that are zero tolerance. As they should be.

Masks though, worked.

Thanks for the response.

[JWags85]

I'm pro vaccine.  I think the Canadian truck driver complaints are a bit excessive and dramatic.  That being said, the Canadian governments retaliation financially as of yesterday and today is kind of scary.

[Jockey]

I'm pro vaccine.  I think the Canadian truck driver complaints are a bit excessive and dramatic.  That being said, the Canadian governments retaliation financially as of yesterday and today is kind of scary.

The truck drivers retaliation to the mandate has been financial terrorism. Putting people out of work is more than 'dramatic'. Their goal was/is to hurt business & industry in both Canada and the US. Why shouldn't the Canadian gov't respond in kind.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

The truck drivers retaliation to the mandate has been financial terrorism. Putting people out of work is more than 'dramatic'. Their goal was/is to hurt business & industry in both Canada and the US. Why shouldn't the Canadian gov't respond in kind.

Do BLM next.  Hack.

[Skatastrophy]

The truck drivers retaliation to the mandate has been financial terrorism. Putting people out of work is more than 'dramatic'. Their goal was/is to hurt business & industry in both Canada and the US. Why shouldn't the Canadian gov't respond in kind.

Civil disobedience is financial terrorism?

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Civil disobedience is financial terrorism?

Financial terrorism is a bit much, but a key concept of civil disobedience is peacefully accepting the punishment your actions. So I’m not sure it’s that.

[pacearrow02]

The truck drivers retaliation to the mandate has been financial terrorism. Putting people out of work is more than 'dramatic'. Their goal was/is to hurt business & industry in both Canada and the US. Why shouldn't the Canadian gov't respond in kind.

Do you agree the same should have been done during the BLM demonstrations?