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The Unintended Consequences of Curfews on Road Safety

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  • World Bank
  • Bedoya Arguelles,Guadalupe
  • Dolinger,Amy
  • Dolkart,Caitlin Fitzgerald
  • Legovini,Arianna
  • Sveta Milusheva
  • Marty,Robert Andrew
  • Taniform,Peter Ngwa

Abstract

During COVID-19, curfews spread like wildfire. Although their impact on curbing the spread ofdisease remains to be proven, curfews have the potential to bring about costs to society in multiple domains. This paperinvestigates the impact of curfews on road safety in an urban lower-middle-income setting. It shows that curfewslead 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 heavy traffichours when people rush to get home before the curfew starts. These spillover effects result from a behavioral response tothe curfew—increased driving speed—leading to higher crash rates. These findings forewarn that the use of curfews infuture crises and pandemics should be carefully scrutinized and designed to minimize unintended negative effects.

Suggested Citation

  • World Bank & Bedoya Arguelles,Guadalupe & Dolinger,Amy & Dolkart,Caitlin Fitzgerald & Legovini,Arianna & Sveta Milusheva & Marty,Robert Andrew & Taniform,Peter Ngwa, 2023. "The Unintended Consequences of Curfews on Road Safety," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10393, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10393
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