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Accident rates drop in Manteca during pandemic
accident

Manteca is bucking the national trend as serious traffic accidents have declined during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There were 12 injury accidents on Manteca’s streets last month. That was 25 percent less than in April 2019 when there were 16 injury accidents. Overall accidents were down 22 percent dropping from 73 in April 2019 to 57 in April 2000. There were no fatalities in either April of 2019 or April of 2020.

While accidents dropped 22 percent during the month-long stay at home orders in April, overall crime dropped 50 percent in Manteca.

So far in 2000, however, accidents are trending up. There were 8.42 percent more or 322 in the first four months of this year compared to 297 in January through April of 2019. Injury accidents were up 8.83 percent to 74 for the same time period. There have been two fatal accidents so far this year compared to one during the first four months or last year.

Manteca has issued 59.61 percent more tickets for moving violations through the first four months of the year compared to the same period in 2019. The 739 tickets issued so far are for infractions that contribute to accidents such as speeding, running stop signs or red lights, and distracted driving.

There were only 13 tickets issued for moving violations last month compared to 120 in April of 2019.

Manteca topped 1,000 traffic accidents for the first time ever in 2019 while suffering a record 256 injury crashes while matching 2015 as the deadliest year ever on city streets with six fatalities.

The 2019 year-end traffic numbers released by Manteca Police Department tallied a record 1,065 traffic accidents last year compared to 929 in 2018. That equates to 2.7 accidents every day in Manteca. That is up from an average of 2.5 accidents a day in 2018.

The snapshot of how safe the streets are in Manteca is gleaned from traffic accident statistics. They do not involve fender benders where the police did not respond.

The 10-year trend shows the last five years, have been the deadliest on city streets with 23 traffic fatalities from 2016 to 2019 compared to 6 in the previous six years.

Manteca population during that time went up 25.6 percent from 67,677 to 85,000 while overall accidents went up 67.1 percent going from 637 to 1,065 while injury accidents soared 128 percent going from 112 to 256. There was one fatality in 2010. There were 6 fatalities in 2019. Meanwhile tickets issued for moving violations plummeted 30 percent.

 

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com