Traffic counts fall from Fredericksburg to Manassas amid coronavirus pandemic

There’s been a sharp decrease in the number of drivers on the roads as a result of the coronavirus pandemic keeping everyone home.

A major contributor to this traffic pattern has been the number of people who are now working from home to avoid the spread of the virus. While there are many in the workforce who have been deemed essential and still commute, many more are sitting at home, in front of their laptops, attending virtual meetings through Zoom, and other online communication platforms.

Overall, there has been a 64% decrease in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) between March 29 and April 4 in  Stafford, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, King George, and Caroline.

At a 74% difference, Stafford County has shown the most significant drop in VMT, according to a report by the Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. The county went from an average of 5.8 million VMT per day down to 1.5 million VMT.

Fredericksburg has had a 66% drop in VMT, from nearly two million per day to about 650,000, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

In Prince William, there has also been a decrease in traffic, according to data provided to Potomac Local News by VDOT spokeswoman Jenny O’Quinn.

On I-66 West across from the Manassas welcome center, VDOT recorded an 18.7% decrease in traffic. This is from about 72,000 cars from this time last year down to 59,000 now.

From I-95 South near the truck stop, VDOT recorded a 16% drop in traffic count, going from 332,000 cars from the beginning of 2019 to late April compared to about 279,000 in the same time frame this year.

There hasn’t been a strong difference in traffic crash-related deaths, according to Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.

From the beginning of the year to April 23, there have been 224 crash-related deaths, according to Virginia State Police numbers. When compared to the 226 crash-related deaths during that time frame last year.