The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has taken the world by storm and required all of us to make drastic changes in the way we live our lives. With most of the nation sheltering in place and/or working from home, there have been fewer cars on the road. Fewer cars mean fewer accidents, and fatal car crashes have gone down by as much as 100% in some places.
A new study from the University of California, Davis (UCD) saw fatal car accidents decrease from 400 to 200 on California roadways, but the data seems to apply across the nation. In Washington, fatal car accidents decreased by 100%, falling from 12 the previous year to zero (0) in the same period this year.
Even car accidents without injury have fallen significantly. Certain parts of California report a 60% decrease and many cities in Washington have seen declines of 75% or more.
Approximately 270 million people are socially isolating, which means fewer commuters are crowding roadways. Without traffic, fatal traffic accidents should not be happening at all. Nevertheless, negligence and reckless driving are still causing about 200 more injuries and fatalities than is acceptable.
If you’ve been injured or bereaved in a car accident caused by someone else’s inexcusable behavior, do not hesitate to contact our personal injury attorney at the Law Offices of Charles R. Gueli today.
Unlike large gatherings and in-office work, justice is not taking a hiatus.
Another Silver Lining
While layoffs and furloughs have hit the American public hard, car insurance companies are profiting off the decrease in accidents. In an effort to share the wealth, many insurers are offering refunds and discounts to policyholders. Allstate and American Family Insurance led the charge on Monday, April 6, offering consumers about $800 million in returns.
Since then, other companies have followed suit. The list of offerings is below:
- Allstate, Esurance, and Encompass are offering 15% refunds for premiums in April and May
- American Family Insurance is issuing $50 refunds for each vehicle insured
- Farmers and 21st Century Insurance are providing a 25% refund on April premiums
- GEICO is taking 15% off of new or renewed policies between April 8 and October 7, 2020
- Liberty Mutual Insurance is issuing 15% refunds for premiums in April and May
- Mercury Insurance is crediting policyholders with 15% refunds for April and May
- Progressive is giving policyholders 20% of refunds in the form of policy credits
- State Farm is refunding 25% of policy premiums from March 20 to May 31, 2020.
- Travelers is crediting 15% of April and May premiums to customer accounts
- USAA is issuing a 20% credit for 2 months of premiums
Most refunds will take effect automatically and you will receive a check in the mail, a discount on your next premium, or a credit on your account. Although we enjoy seeing insurance companies do the right thing and aid the American people during this difficult time, we also understand that insurers can be difficult to deal with during personal injury claims.
Once again, if you are dealing with the aftermath of a car accident or facing any kind of insurance dispute, please call the Law Offices of Charles R. Gueli at (516) 628-6402 or contact us online for a free consultation.
We are available 24/7 and hope we can put our 2 decades of legal experience to work for you. In the meantime, please stay safe and healthy and consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the most accurate and up-to-date information about COVID-19.