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When Do Car Accidents Happen the Most?

Car accidents can happen at any day of the week. But certain days and times are more common than others and for predictable reasons. Not only are more people out on the road at certain times of day, but they are more likely to be intoxicated or just plain sleepy.

At Noakes Law, we represent anyone injured in a car accident caused by a negligent driver. Please reach out to us to schedule a consultation with our legal team.

Fatal Car Crashes Peak During the Drive Home

The National Safety Council has gathered evidence of when accidents were most common in 2020. The time period 4:00 pm to 7:59 pm leads the way with 23% of all fatal car accidents. We attribute that to the number of people on the road trying to get home from work or school. It is also late enough that in certain parts of the country a motorist will be in the dark during the winter, which increases the odds of a fatal crash.

The window 8:00 pm to 11:59 pm was just behind, accounting for 22.5% of all fatal crashes. But on Friday and Sunday nights, those windows had the most fatalities.

Fatal Crashes Are Most Common on the Weekend

The data is in. And it shows that fatal car accidents peak on the weekend. This isn’t that surprising, either. For one thing, more people are out on the road because they aren’t in an office or school somewhere for 8 hours a day. The more people traveling, the higher the odds of a crash.

For another, more people are drinking on the weekend, especially at night. Indeed, most fatal accidents happen:

  • Saturday evening, 8:00 pm to 11:59 pm: 4.3% of fatal accidents
  • Friday evening, 8:00 pm to 11:59 pm: 3.9% of fatal accidents
  • Saturday evening, 4:00 pm to 7:59 pm: 3.8% of fatal accidents
  • Friday evening, 4:00 pm to 7:59 pm: 3.6% of fatal accidents

People are obviously out drinking during those hours, so fatal accidents increase. They might also be fatigued and unable to drive safely. By contrast, the fatal accident number is much lower during the work week.

Non-Fatal Accidents Are More Common on Weekdays

If we look at non-fatal accidents, we see that they are more common Monday through Friday than on Saturday and Sunday. Also, they are most likely to occur from noon to 3:59 pm and 4:00 pm to 7:59 pm. Non-fatal crashes are far less likely to occur at night and on the weekend. In fact, the midnight to 3:59 am window had very few non-fatal accidents on any day of the week.

What accounts for this difference between fatal and non-fatal accidents? We think that people are less likely to be intoxicated or fatigued when driving during the day. They might also engage in less risky or aggressive driving during the day when it’s more likely that cops are around.

We Can Help Accidents Victims Day or Night

Regardless of when you were hurt, Noakes Law can step in and represent you in the settlement process. Please do not hesitate to reach out and contact us to schedule a free consultation. We will analyze all known facts, discuss your injuries, and develop a plan for success.

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