Publication: The Unintended Consequences of Curfews on Road Safety
Date
2023-04-13
ISSN
Published
2023-04-13
Author(s)
Bedoya, Guadalupe
Dolinge, Amy
Dolkart, Caitlin
Legovini, Arianna
Milusheva, Sveta
Marty, Robert
Taniform, Peter
Abstract
During COVID-19, curfews spread like
wildfire. Although their impact on curbing the spread of
disease remains to be proven, curfews have the potential to
bring about costs to society in multiple domains. This paper
investigates the impact of curfews on road safety in an
urban setting. It shows that they lead to large reductions
in crashes during the curfew hours when cars are off the
road, but that these reductions can be fully offset by an
increase in crashes during the hours before the curfew when
people rush to get home. These findings forewarn that the
use of curfews in future crises and pandemics should be
carefully scrutinized and designed to minimize unintended
negative effects.
Citation
“Bedoya, Guadalupe; Dolinge, Amy; Dolkart, Caitlin; Legovini, Arianna; Milusheva, Sveta; Marty, Robert; Taniform, Peter. 2023. The Unintended Consequences of Curfews on Road Safety. Policy Research Working Papers; 10393. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/39684 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”