Winter Weather Driving Statistics: Snow, Icy Car Crashes

Traffic accidents happen due to many reasons. What makes accidents dangerous and risky would be its unpredictable nature. Rarely can you predict when, where, and how an accident could happen? With every changing season, the risks of traffic accidents increases. According to experts, accidents during the cold season are different. It depends on where you live and your driving skills. With this being said, what would be the worst place for winter drives? What makes some states and countries extremely dangerous? What factors contribute to winter accidents? And, what would be the worst and best time to drive during the cold season? If these are questions in your mind, keep reading!

The Worst Place to Drive-In Snow

Ohio is known for its harsh winters. This is one of the worst places for a drive. A survey in 2015 revealed that Ohio has the highest number of fatal winter accidents. The numbers were as high as 143. Most of these accidents were caused due to icy and snowy conditions. The second-most deadly place for winter drives was Michigan. In Michigan, there were more than 136 fatal accidents. The third most dangerous destination for winter drives was Pennsylvania, with 79 reported incidents. When compared against Pennsylvania, the number of accidents in Michigan was double!

The Northern regions are safe during the cold season. This is because “snow” is very rare in places like New Mexico, Colorado, or Illinois. People from these states are not trained to drive in snow. In fact, they have poor car equipment too. This makes their drives riskier and “crazy”.

A Bad Road, A Snow Car Accident

A lot of winter accidents are caused by out-of-state vehicles. Winter is a beautiful season with unique requirements. May it is your clothes or cars, you should handpick everything. Unfortunately, many car owners drive into cold, winter destinations without proper preparation. They don’t invest in the right kind of safety equipment or techniques. Around 40% of the accidents in Ohio were caused by out-of-state drivers. Around 80% of these accidents were fatal. The figures were quite similar in Pennsylvania too. When out-of-state drivers explore through Ohio, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico in winter, they increase the risks of accidents. They fail to understand the difference in roads, terrains, and driving styles.

Age and Car Crashes On Ice?

There are plenty of surveys and studies to understand if age has an impact on winter drives. And, the figures were quite surprising. Most of the fatal winter accidents were caused by young drivers. This is because, they have very little or no experience driving in tough, weather conditions. Driving in winter is a tough challenge. Drivers need lots of practice and experience in similar road conditions. Meanwhile, senior citizens find it difficult to drive on winter roads. The number of accidents caused by people between 65 and 70 years of age is quite high. These accidents can be attributed to the driver’s poor medical condition and susceptibility to physical injuries. Most accidents in Michigan were caused by drivers between 45 and 65 years of age. In Ohio, the road incidents were caused by young drivers, between 16 and 24 years of age.

Time & Day

Does time and may play an important role in the chances of a winter accident? Well, the answer to this question is a big “Yes”! A common time for fatal winter accidents was 9 AM and 2 PM. These times were followed by accidents between 10 AM and 11 AM & 1 PM and 2 PM. Very few accidents were recorded during late-night hours. The number of winter accidents between 11 PM and 12 AM was as low as “9”.

When it comes to the days of the week, Saturday had the highest number of winter accidents. Many devastating accidents were recorded on Saturdays. There were around 286 such accidents. And, 197 accidents were recorded on Fridays. Weekend travel is a major reason for these incidents. The lowest number of accidents was recorded on Thursdays (73).

The Reasons Behind Fatal Winter Accidents

Snow and extreme weather condition are two major reasons behind these winter accidents. More than 500+ accidents were caused due to these reasons. Frost alias Ice caused more than 350+ accidents. Most of the drivers lost traction or control of their vehicles on slippery roads. Some of them were off-roading. These are two common types of winter road accidents.