Winter Weather Driving Statistics May Surprise You

For those of us living in locations that have snowy winter weather, we are familiar with the hazards of driving in cold, snowy and icy conditions. Our local weather stations encourage us to stay home if possible during storms and if we must travel to allow ample time to get to our destinations. We are always on high alert for black ice on the freeways especially after dark and for those of us who love to ski, we might even own a set of chains for our tires so that we can make our way up the canyons when regular snow tires fail. Yet, how many of us actually know the statistics surrounding winter weather driving?

Carsurance put together this list and some of the results may surprise you.

• Over 70% of US roads are in snowy regions.
• About 70% of the US population lives in snowy regions.
• 17% of all vehicle crashes happen in winter conditions.
• 1,836 people die annually due to snowy and icy pavement.
• There are 156,164 crashes annually due to icy roads.
• More than 1,300 people are killed in car crashes on snowy or icy roads every year.
• Over 116,800 people get injured in car accidents on snowy or icy roads every year.
• Every year, about 76,000 people are injured in traffic accidents during snowfall.
• About 70% of accidental fatalities that occur during winter happen in cars.
• 800 Americans die in car crashes annually while driving in winter weather conditions.

Interestingly, more motor vehicle accidents occur in the summer months. This may be the result of more cars on the road for work and vacation travel as well as more road construction.

Whatever the season, whether there be snowy, icy winter roads or heavily trafficked summer streets, accidents happen. If you or someone you know is involved in an accident, contact our West Jordan car accident attorney for a FREE consultation. We can help.