Sonoma County law enforcement report fewer crashes amid pandemic

Sonoma County law enforcement agencies are responding to fewer car crashes during local shelter-in-place orders, a silver lining during the coronavirus pandemic that has led to fewer cars on roadways nationwide as more people limit travel and stay indoors.

Santa Rosa police responded to an average of 15 collisions per week for the first full three weeks after Sonoma County residents were asked to stay home because of the coronavirus, said Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Josh Ludtke, who oversees the department’s traffic unit. In contrast, the agency saw an average of 36 vehicle collisions per week in 2019, he said.

Officers with the Santa Rosa-area CHP, who investigate collisions on Sonoma County’s unincorporated roadways and highways, filed 79 reports for traffic collisions between March 18, the first day of Sonoma County’s stay-at-home orders, and Monday morning, agency spokesman Officer David deRutte said.

It was a 58% decrease when compared to 2019, when local CHP officers responded to a total of 188 crashes in the same time frame, deRutte said.

“It’s a good thing, no matter what. We want less crashes,” deRutte said. “We’re able to more proactively enforce since we’re not responding on things like that.”

The decline in crashes mirrors an overall downturn in crime reporting to Sonoma County law enforcement agencies since the threat of the coronavirus pandemic’s spread prompted local health officials to issue stay-at-home orders on March 17, followed by similar, statewide mandates enacted by Gov. Gavin Newsom a day later.

Data suggests shelter-in-place orders, intended to limit public contact between people, and therefore limit the spread of the disease, have led to significantly fewer cars on roads nationwide.

INRIX, a Kirkland, Washington-based company that collects traffic data in over 80 countries using mobile devices, roadway sensors and cameras, among other means, reported personal travel last week across the country was about half of what the company recorded in the U.S. in late February. Long-haul trucking was down by about 10% nationwide.

On Monday, California’s insurance commissioner also ordered insurance companies operating in the state to give customers at least a partial refund on their automobile insurance premiums given the sharp decline of miles drivers were spending on the road.

He cited a UC Davis study published on April 1 that estimated California officers patrolling highways and rural roadways would respond to roughly 15,000 fewer vehicle crashes and 6,000 less fatal or injury collisions per month in light of Newsom’s orders to shelter at home.

Locally, the decline in crashes has led the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety to transfer officers from its traffic unit to temporary patrol assignments, as well as cancel planned traffic enforcement operations, police Lt. Jeff Justice said. Traffic collisions have shrunk by about a third between March 18 to Sunday when compared to the same period last year, he added.

Nearly four weeks into the local shelter-in-place, Petaluma reported a 66% decrease in collision reports, again compared to the same period in 2019, Petaluma Police Lt. Brian Miller said. He’s noted seeing an uptick in the number of people driving on city roads with each passing day under the county’s orders.

“We do notice more vehicles driving each day and we want to remind drivers that travel should be limited to essential travel only,” Miller said.

You can reach Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez at 707-521-5203 or nashelly.chavez@pressdemocrat.com.