The coronavirus pandemic emptied America’s roadways. Now speeders have taken over.

California Highway Patrol officer Matthew Musselmann uses a lidar gun for speed detection along Interstate 5 in Anaheim, Calif., on April 23. Police agencies around the country are reporting a rise in speeding tickets. (Chris Carlson/AP)

By Luz Lazo, Washington Post

Three months into the coronavirus pandemic, the United States faces another crisis: a surge in speeding and reckless behavior on the nation’s roadways.

Reckless driving has increased dramatically since March, leading to a disproportionate number of speed-related crashes and fatalities, according to law enforcement and traffic experts.
Reports of drag racing, drivers chasing land-speed records, and more speed-related crashes began setting off alarm bells for police agencies across the country almost immediately after states began their coronavirus lockdowns in mid-March and traffic volumes fell dramatically.

In New York, a police officer assigned to a coronavirus response unit was killed April 25 when a driver accused of drag racing on the Cross Island Parkway struck the back of his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, the New York Daily News reported…

Read full story here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/the-coronavirus-pandemic-emptied-americas-highways-now-speeders-have-taken-over/2020/05/10/c98d570c-8bb4-11ea-9dfd-990f9dcc71fc_story.html