Accidents, by their very nature, happen unexpectedly. But, some types of accidents are more likely to happen at different times of day, reports Vocativ.
Using data from 2012 gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Jishai Evers of Dadaviz was able to figure out when crashes are most likely to occur on the road.
The results varied across different types of incidents, but overall, the most crashes occurred during the week between the hours of 3 and 6 p.m. And, non-fatal traffic injuries followed the same pattern. This might not be totally surprising, since that covers the beginning of rush hour, and the time when kids get out of school, and parents head out to pick them up.
However, when focusing solely on fatal crashes, the pattern changes — most such accidents occurred on the weekends in the wee hours of the morning between midnight 3 a.m. According to the same NHTSA data, this is also the time when the highest percentage of drivers on the road are alcohol-impaired. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say drunk driving accounts for almost a third of all fatalities from car accidents.
So, if you can't stay off the road during these hours, definitely be ready to put those defensive driving skills to use — and, as always, buckle up.
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