Officers report decrease in traffic, increase in speed

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) While the majority of cars are staying parked at home, a small percentage are still hitting the road.

"I'm a plumbing contractor. It really helps me the way the roads are right now," said Brian Hicks in Del Rey Oaks.

The group that is still commuting should mostly include essential workers. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is now warning them to slow down.

"Here, specifically in Monterey County, we are seeing less traffic. Because of the small amount of traffic, we are also seeing that the cars are traveling at higher speeds," said Jessica Madueno with the California Highway Patrol.

Officers are not afraid to start issuing citations more frequently if necessary. With less vehicles on the road, officers said those speeding are easier to point out and pull over.

"They might see the roadway open and feel that they can go above the speed limit. It's not the time for that right now. You can still cause a traffic collision," said Madueno.

Madueno said traffic collisions, caused by speeding, are on the rise in Monterey County. The CHP has seen the trend take off in recent weeks.

Officials worry the increase in accidents will only make matters worse for hospitals who are already inundated with patients.

"It's not the time that we want people going to the hospital. We want the emergency care workers to handle the emergency pandemic that is happening right now," said Madueno.

The CHP recommends only getting behind the wheel if you need to run an essential errand or have an essential job.