PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Fewer motorists on the roads during the pandemic didn’t translate to fewer traffic deaths in 2020 in Maine.

Lauren Stewart is Maine’s highway safety director. Stewart says the number of road fatalities was 165 on Wednesday as the year drew to a close.

That compares to 157 the previous year, even though fewer people were on the roads in 2020.

She says one theory is that drivers gave themselves the green light to drive faster with fewer motorists and a reduced police presence in March and April.

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