Each year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration collects information about traffic accidents, including collisions that cause fatalities. Recently, AVVO evaluated that data and reported their observations. And while AVVO is a directory that helps people find attorneys to represent them, their report of the risky driving times is interesting. 

Of course, bad weather can put us all at risk more than ideal driving conditions. But considering mild weather, when is the worst time of day to drive? The answer is discouraging. Millions of Americans drive to work each day. With heavier numbers of vehicles, chances, of course, increase the risk of an accident. But, while most may assume the overnight hours are the most dangerous, the actual riskiest time is 4pm to 7pm. It seems America is not in a rush to get to work, but rather, are anxious to get home AFTER work. This ‘after work’ rush time is worse than the morning commute and hours overnight where drivers have a higher chance of being impaired. In fact, the 2nd worst time is 7pm to 9:59pm. 

The most recent statistics are proving one day is the most dangerous of the week. Saturday is the riskiest day of the week, on a national average, for deadly accidents. This is probably not shocking, due to more careless driving on the weekends. But interestingly, for us Oklahomans, Friday is the worst day. In fact, Oklahoma made the list of the Top 5 in the nation for fatalities as a result of an accident on Friday.

Of course we can’t stop traveling altogether to avoid these riskier driving times. We just can’t choose to stop our daily commutes, especially in Oklahoma, with more miles than many states between towns. But what we should do is the usual safe practices. During these dangerous times, as well as at all times, staying away from distracted driving is safest. Keep your mind and eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.