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On the Effects of COVID-19 Safer-At-Home Policies on Social Distancing, Car Crashes and Pollution

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  • Brodeur, Abel

    (University of Ottawa)

  • Cook, Nikolai

    (Wilfrid Laurier University)

  • Wright, Taylor

    (University of Ottawa)

Abstract

In response to COVID-19, dramatic safer-at-home policies were implemented. The understanding of their impacts on social distancing, travel and pollution is in its infancy. We pair a differences-in-differences framework and synthetic control methods with rich cellular tracking and high frequency air pollution data. We find that state and U.S. county safer-at-home policies are successful in encouraging social distance; beginning the day of the policy trips outside the home are sharply decreased while time in residence rises sharply. With less vehicle traffic, we find: a 50% reduction in vehicular collisions; an approximately 25% reduction in Particulate Matter (PM2.5) concentrations; and a reduction of the incidence of county-days with an air quality index of code yellow or above by two-thirds. We calculate that the benefits from avoided car collisions could range from $7 billion to $24 billion while the benefits from reduced pollution could range from $650 million to $13.8 billion.

Suggested Citation

  • Brodeur, Abel & Cook, Nikolai & Wright, Taylor, 2020. "On the Effects of COVID-19 Safer-At-Home Policies on Social Distancing, Car Crashes and Pollution," IZA Discussion Papers 13255, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp13255
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    Keywords

    COVID-19; safer-at-home; lockdowns; pollution; traffic; car crashes;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • P48 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - Legal Institutions; Property Rights; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Regional Studies
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

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