Knowing when car crashes occur in Georgia is critical to avoiding them. If you know the most dangerous time to drive, you’ll know when to stay off the road. While different times of the year and times of the day present unique driving dangers, studies suggest that the most dangerous time to drive is between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Familiarize yourself with these dangerous times to minimize your chances of getting hurt in an avoidable wreck. If you can’t avoid driving during these times, exercise caution behind the wheel.
Rush Hour
Driving during rush hour increases your odds of sustaining harm in a wreck. When roads are busier, crashes are more likely to occur. In the morning and after work, drivers also might not be alert, or they may exhibit aggressive driving behaviors.
When rush hour begins can depend on your location. Some claim that rush hour in the Atlanta metro area starts at 4:00 a.m. By 6:00 a.m. or 7:00 a.m., rush hour traffic is heaviest.
Rush hour usually ends by ten in the morning. It picks up again around three-thirty in the afternoon. According to one study by Forbes Advisor, the most dangerous time to drive is from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
If you can avoid driving during rush hour, you could reduce your accident risk and ensure a more pleasant drive.
Fatigue/Late at Night
Drowsy driving is a significant problem in the U.S. Consider the following points:
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in 25 American adults admit to falling asleep at the wheel at some point in a 30-day period.
- Fatigue can cause the same type of impairment that alcohol causes.
- According to the National Safety Council (NSC), crashes involving tired drivers result in 6,400 fatal crashes on American roads every year.
Fatigue isn’t the only factor that increases your odds of being in a wreck when driving late at night. Late-night driving also naturally involves limited visibility.
What is the most dangerous time to drive at night? Along with rush hour, the hours between midnight and 2:00 a.m. and between 4:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. are the most dangerous, per the NSC. This may be due to more sleep-deprived and intoxicated motorists being on the road.
Holidays
Driving during holidays can be dangerous for several reasons:
- There tend to be more vehicles on the road during the busy holiday season. High traffic density results in high risk of car accidents.
- People driving during the holidays may be intoxicated due to increased alcohol consumption. Drinking at holiday parties and driving immediately after isn’t uncommon.
- Some who are driving for the holidays may be unfamiliar with the areas in which they are driving. Lack of familiarity with their surroundings may cause them to make dangerous mistakes.
Holiday travel periods may last longer than the holidays themselves, so plan accordingly. Consider the example of Thanksgiving.
Many people begin traveling for Thanksgiving the Wednesday before. Some don’t travel back to their homes until the following Sunday. In between, travelers may drive in large numbers on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Thus, the NSC considers the Thanksgiving holiday period to last from the Wednesday before Thanksgiving through the Sunday evening after.
That’s just one example. The length of other holiday travel periods can vary depending on what day of the week a holiday falls on.
According to the NSC, the most dangerous holidays to drive are:
- New Year’s Eve/Day
- Memorial Day
- The Fourth of July
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that Thanksgiving is the deadliest holiday in terms of traffic fatalities. Over a five-year period, it barely outpaced Labor Day and the Fourth of July in traffic deaths.
Avoid driving during these busy travel periods if you can. If you can’t avoid driving, don’t let holiday travel stress cause you to make errors or succumb to road rage. Never drive after consuming alcohol at a holiday celebration, and don’t get behind the wheel if you’re even slightly drowsy.
The ‘100 Deadliest Days’ Between Memorial Day and Labor Day
According to media reports, the period roughly between Memorial Day and Labor Day is the most dangerous time to drive during the year if you’re a teenager. This period has earned a reputation for being the “100 Deadliest Days” for teen drivers in the U.S. It can also be a dangerous time to share the road with teen motorists due to the high rate of fatal accidents.
Teen drivers are on the road more often during this time because they aren’t in school and the weather permits travel. An abundance of inexperienced and potentially distracted young motorists on the road results in a relatively high crash risk.
Other Dangerous Dates
Other dates may also be dangerous for motorists for reasons you might not have considered. According to the NSC, the most dangerous date to drive in every month (based on data from one recent year) is:
- January 1
- February 7 and 27 (both had the same number of motor vehicle fatalities that year)
- March 27
- April 4
- May 15
- June 19
- July 4
- August 7
- September 11
- October 29
- November 12
- December 17
Not all of these dates fell in major holiday periods in a recent year. Such data indicates the role other factors may play in crash risk.
For example, data indicate Saturday is generally the most dangerous day of the week to drive. As such, the date with the most crash fatalities in a given month is often on a Saturday. Thus, the most dangerous date in a particular month can change from year to year.
Contact Our Georgia Car Accident Attorney for Help
Knowing the most dangerous time to drive and practicing safe driving habits can reduce your odds of getting hurt in a motor vehicle crash. However, even if you obey every traffic law and drive as safely as possible, you can still sustain serious injuries in a car accident.
If so, you may be eligible for compensation. Georgia is an at-fault state, which means the insurer of the party who caused your crash is responsible for compensating you.
Seeking the compensation you deserve will involve filing an insurance claim. It may also require investigating the crash to gather evidence of the at-fault party’s negligence. You might also have to negotiate with the insurance company for a fair settlement.
You don’t need to handle these tasks on your own. At Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC, a Georgia car accident lawyer is on hand to offer representation. Learn more about what we can do for you by contacting us online or calling us today for a free case review.
