Any time a person gets behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, there is a chance that person will be involved in an accident. The same goes for the pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists who are also sharing the road.
However, there may be certain times where the risk of an accident is increased. According to data compiled by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the number of injuries and fatalities on Wisconsin roads increase during certain days of the week and times of day. Understanding when the dangers of an accident are increased could help people hopefully prevent a crash from happening.
According to statistics from 2012 crashes in this state, more than 600 people were killed in motor vehicle accidents. Saturdays are the days when the most fatalities are suffered; nearly 100 people were killed in Saturday crashes. Further, the time of day when people are most often killed in an accident falls between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. for six out of the seven days of the week. Specifically, the deadliest time of day was between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., during which time 50 fatal accidents occurred.
In terms of injuries, Fridays proved to be the most dangerous days of the week for people getting hurt in crashes. In fact, 6,937 people were injured in a crash taking place on a Friday. Saturdays came in second with more than 5,600 injuries. The hour between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. was when the most injuries were suffered.
What we may be able to take away from this data is that weekends and evenings can be the most dangerous times to be on the road. This may stem from the fact that there may be more people out on the road, more drivers who are intoxicated, and issues with limited visibility.
Realistically, it can be impossible to avoid traveling during these times. But hopefully, being aware of the times and days when the risk of an accident may be increased will remind drivers to be especially cautious during these periods.