Is driving in the middle of the night safer than driving during the day? Sure, you may have the street to yourself for the time being, but you also have to compete with the lack of daylight and the possibility of an alcohol-induced reckless driver. Instamotor, the local marketplace app for buying and selling used cars, released a new study on driving safety that sheds light on these issues.
What are the safest times for driving? Is there such a thing?
Taking data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the United States Department of Transportation, they looked at the safest states for driving and the safest times of day. A gender comparison was gathered based on the available data as well.
Fall Season Most Risky
It certainly looks to be the case that October is the deadliest month of the year. When analyzing the data, the average number of crashes for the last four months of the year (2,683) is significantly higher than that of the first four months (2,149). The fact most holidays occur during the last four months of the year may be to blame. Given the increased number of drunk drivers during this time, it is not all that surprising.
Safest State for Driving
The safest states in the U.S. for driving are Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Massachusetts being rated a 4.9 is somewhat surprising given Boston’s poor track record of bad driving, but the numbers don’t lie. Overall, the west coast states and the northeast states prove to have lower fatality rates per 100,000 people. The middle of the country and down into the southern states, like Louisiana, are the worst of the bunch.
Wisconsin leads with a whopping rate of 25.7.
Male Versus Female
Looking at the gender comparisons, the United States Department of Transportation deemed the safest time for both men and women is between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Tuesday. The worst times for men and women were a bit different, however.
The worst time for female drivers is between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. on a Thursday. This is surprising as one might expect those times to fall on the weekend, but they only do for men. Fatalities for men peaked on Saturday and Sunday between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. Although, where the fatality numbers for women top off at around 400, the max for men is up at 1,100, almost three times as much!
Age Factors
Another surprise came from the age data on men and women. Both genders were at their highest risk in old age, but looking at the earlier ages there were some surprises as well. There is a large peak between 15 and 19 in women, but then it continues to decrease to their lowest risk between 40 and 44. Men, on the other hand, have their first peak between 20 and 24 which then drops to their lowest between 55 and 59.
Essentially, women are at risk at an earlier age than men.
Here is the full study on driver safety conducted by Instamotor. Although a lot of things are out of your control as a driver, it is important to be aware and alert at all times. Be safe out there!
Photos: Instamotor
Cover Photo: pixaoppa
