Black people are more likely to die in traffic accidents. Covid made it worse.

Black people represented the largest increase in traffic deaths last year than any other racial group, even as Americans drove less overall due to the pandemic, according to recently released data.

An estimated 38,680 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2020 — the largest projected number of deaths since 2007, according the U.S.

The number of Black people who died in such crashes was up 23 percent from 2019, the largest increase in traffic deaths among racial groups, according to the administration’s report.

This most likely represents yet another way the health crisis has had an outsize effect on Black people.

And Black people are more likely to face traffic injuries in general; from 2010-2019, Black pedestrians were 82 percent more likely to be hit by drivers, according to a 2021 report from Smart Growth America, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group focused on urban development.

He said there are three major reasons Black people bear the brunt of roadway injuries: infrastructure, design and racism.

Predominantly Black neighborhoods are less likely to have crosswalks, warning signs and other safety mechanisms, he said.

The types of streets that go through Black and brown neighborhoods are like mini highways where the speed limit is 35 or 45.