Pandemic set off deadly rise in speeding that hasn’t stopped

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – Motorists have felt the need to speed during the pandemic, a worrisome trend as roads get busier with the final stretch of summer travel.

The number of highway deaths in 2020 was the greatest in more than a decade even though cars and trucks drove fewer miles during the pandemic, and motorists are continuing to speed, tailgate and zigzag through traffic.

Tickets by the California Highway Patrol for speeding in excess of 100 mph from January to June were nearly double pre-pandemic levels.

New York State Police say both the percentage of fatalities for which speeding was a primary factor and the number of speeding tickets were up in the same period.