Behind the wheel, you need to pay attention to many different risk factors, from traffic congestion to dangerous intersections and negligent drivers. In addition, you should focus on weather and recognize the various ways in which adverse weather conditions can lead to an accident. Regrettably, too many drivers ignore weather-related risks, and this leads to many accidents every year.
A weather-related crash could leave you or a loved one with a serious injury, and it is crucial to look at statistics on these collisions in order to understand how widespread they are.
Statistics on weather and traffic accidents
The Federal Highway Administration reports that more than 5,891,000 accidents involving vehicles take place during an average year, and weather-related accidents make up roughly 21% of these collisions. In fact, traffic accidents involving adverse weather cause more than 418,000 people to become injured and result in almost 5,000 deaths every year, on average.
There are many different ways in which weather can cause an accident, but data links rainfall and wet pavement with most weather-related collisions. A study that analyzed accidents from 2007 to 2016 found that during this ten-year timeframe, 70% of weather-related accidents occurred on wet pavement and 46% happened while it rained. Snow, ice and fog also cause many traffic collisions.
Reckless driving during bad weather
The risk of an accident increases if a driver behaves recklessly during poor weather. For example, if someone speeds while the road is slick or visibility is poor, they are especially likely to collide with another vehicle. If you recently became involved in a traffic accident during bad weather, you need to carefully evaluate the ins and outs of the accident and hold the other driver accountable if their negligence caused you to become hurt.