When it comes to staying safe on the road, not all months are created equal. Due to adverse weather conditions, the early months of January and February tend to be more dangerous than the months of spring. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), however, August is typically the deadliest month of the year for traffic fatalities. These include not only driver deaths, but also pedestrians killed in auto accidents.
The rise in traffic fatalities during this time of year can be attributed to a few different factors. To begin with, more people are on the road this time of year due to vacation season. With more cars on the road, the potential for accidents is bound to increase. Because schools are out of session during the summer, there also more inexperienced teenage drivers on the road this time of year. Finally, seasonal heat and traffic congestion in August tends to lead to a higher rate of road rage incidents that sometimes end in deadly accidents. These three factors conspire to make August an especially dangerous month for drivers and pedestrians.
Bear in mind that the risk doesn’t end on September 1. In fact, Labor Day weekend has historically been a particularly bad time for traffic fatalities as well. Once the summer travel season comes to a close, traffic fatalities rates typically start to fall.
Here at 4N6XPRT systems, our accident reconstruction software tools such as 4N6XPRT Stiff Calcs have helped accident victims, attorneys and law enforcement agencies to determine who was at fault in auto accidents for more than 20 years. Give us a call today to learn more about all of our products and services.