Car accidents happen any time of day or night. Still, it makes sense that crashes occur more frequently at certain times of day and days of the week. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives an insight into when it is most dangerous on the roads in Michigan.
Most likely time of day for a motor vehicle accident
It may not surprise you to learn that the afternoon commute is the period with the most car accident fatalities. In fact, in 2016, from 4 pm to 6:59 pm, more than 6,200 people were killed in accidents nationwide. What you might not expect is that there were far fewer fatal accidents during the morning commute (7 am to 9:59 am), which would seem to have the same level of traffic.
Traffic safety experts believe that drivers are more negligent in the later afternoon due to things like work stress, being distracted by messages on their phone, and happy hour drinks after work.
Most likely days of the week for a crash to happen
If you guessed that the weekend is the most deadly time on the roads, you are right. In 2016, Saturdays had the most accident fatalities with nearly 7,000 deaths. Specifically, Saturday night starting at 10 pm until early Sunday morning was the most dangerous time period of the week. Fridays were the next worst; more than 5,800 people were killed in traffic collisions on Fridays.
While driving on weekends or evenings, you should take precautions. But while you are a responsible and defensive driver, you may never know when a dangerous driver is bearing down on you. And there may not be anything you can do to avoid getting seriously hurt in a wreck.
But you can take steps to recover financial compensation for the harm the driver caused you. The first step is to contact an experienced personal injury attorney near you to discuss the process of filing a claim and what to expect.
