No one wants to get into a car crash, but people often make choices that increase their level of personal risk for collisions. When someone decides to get behind the wheel can be as important as where they drive in terms of their overall risk.
The National Safety Council (NSC) has reviewed years of crash data and reached the conclusion that there are two times of day that are far more dangerous for people on the road than others. When is the possibility of a crash the highest?
At night
Once the sun sets, visibility drops. Some animals become more active, and there may be more impaired drivers on the road. Fatigue can also lead to people driving more poorly late at night. The NSC notes that while drivers only travel roughly a quarter of all miles driven at night, roughly half of all fatal crashes occur after dark.
During the afternoon rush hour
Traffic density plays a major role in collision risk, so times with more vehicles on the road tend to be more dangerous. In the afternoon, as many employees head home from work, the possibility of a crash is the highest it will be during the daytime. The NSC notes that weekdays see significantly higher collision rates between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Although drivers can’t avoid the roads every weekday in the late afternoon and any time after the sun sets, they can at least adjust their habits to reflect the higher degree of risk. Learning more about what contributes to New Mexico crashes may help people better avoid them or respond to them after they occur.