Effects of COVID-19 on traffic accidents in the province of Manabí

Abstract

The effects of COVID-19 have been evident in various sectors globally, especially in vehicular flow, due to the traffic restrictions implemented to stop its spread. The present work aims to compare the number of traffic accidents and their fatalities before and during the pandemic, as a resource to determine the effects generated by mobility limitations on the behavior of these indicators within the province of Manabi. In the methodology, the general records of traffic accidents from 2008 to 2021 were analyzed, and later periods considered pre-pandemic and pandemic were established, to be evaluated in detail through statistical interpretation by implementing the Pearson correlation coefficient. The results made it possible to identify the main changes in the dynamics of traffic accidents and their fatalities, such as a 24% decrease in the record of traffic accidents and 28% in fatalities during the pandemic. The most important modifications in the behaviors of these two indicators were observed in the fatality records, with a value of r = 0.77.

Manuscript received: July 16, 2021

Manuscript accepted: November 18, 2021