driving

CALIFORNIA DRIVERS ARE TAKING 53.1% MORE ROAD TRIPS IN 2020

East County News Service
 
September 19, 2020 (San Diego) – A new report by seoClarity on changing travel patterns in the United States finds that since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Americans are taking more long-distance road trips, even while air travel has dropped sharply.  Road trips by Californians have risen sharply—and people in the San Diego region took the ninth most road trips of 350 major metropolitan areas studied, logging 73,900 long-distance road trips in 2020, an 86.1% rise over 2019.
 
Such a shift in travel behavior may serve as an example of the “new normal” when it comes to how Americans will travel to more distant destinations, the report concludes.
 
COVID-19 took hold during the warmer months and peak travel periods for many Americans, contributing to a more than 30 percent decline in total travel since 2019, according to recently released government data. However, while social distancing measures and remote work have led to a decrease in short-distance trips and a massive 70 percent decline in air travel, the number of miles logged on long-distance road trips has risen dramatically above last year's numbers. 

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STATE CONTROLLER: CANNABIS INDUSTRY NEEDS TO CONFRONT STONED DRIVING PROBLEM

 

By Judy Lin, CALmatters

CALmatters is an independent public interest journalism venture covering California state politics and government.

Photo:  Caltrans billboard warns of the dangers of drug use while driving. Courtesy Caltrans

August 27, 2018 (San Diego) - California Controller Betty Yee, injured last month in an auto collision suspected to have been caused by a 25-year-old driver under the influence of marijuana, used sharp language last week to demand  that the state’s nascent cannabis industry “step up” and address pot-related traffic accidents.


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DROWSY DRIVER AWARENESS DAY IS APRIL 6: DROWSINESS CAN IMPAIR DRIVING AS MUCH AS ALCOHOL DOES

 

By Miriam Raftery

March 16, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – “My wife, Robyn, died when she fell asleep while driving on April 6, 1999 in Texas,” retired California Highway Patrol Officer Phil Konstantin recalls. “She was driving back to San Diego from Florida, where she had just picked up a car from her mother.” 

Since then, Konstantin has championed the cause of warning others about the dangers of driving drowsy.  In 2005, the California Legislature proclaimed April 6th—the date Robyn Konstantin died –as Drowsy Driver Awareness Day. 

On Monday, March 17, Konstantin will be a guest on the East County Magazine Radio Show. Tune in at 5 p.m. on KNSJ 89.1 FM.

“I have always found it to be ironic that one of my duties  as  a California  Highway Patrol officer was to inform the public of the  dangers of driving  while drowsy. Yet, this is how my own wife died,” Konstantin says. “She was  an  excellent  driver. This just proves it can happen to anyone.” Ironically, she   drove past a freeway  rest area just moments before her crash, he added. You can learn more at his website: http://drowsydriverawarenessday.com and by scrolling down in this article.


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FROM THE CHIEF'S CORNER: VACATION SAFETY TIPS - DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT THEM!

 

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

June 17, 2013 (San Diego) – It’s summer time, and time for a vacation! Many of us may be ready for or planning a vacation for the summer months.  Here are some safety tips to help make your vacation safe and enjoyable says Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna. Vacation safety actually begins while you are still at home and begins with planning for safety!


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.