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

Arbeitspapier

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.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 13255

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Other Economic Systems: Political Economy; Legal Institutions; Property Rights; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Regional Studies ; Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling ; Environmental Economics: Government Policy
• Subject: COVID-19 ; safer-at-home ; lockdowns ; pollution ; traffic ; car crashes

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Brodeur, Abel ; Cook, Nikolai ; Wright, Taylor
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2020

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/223697
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET