Most motorists may think now that Fourth of July weekend has passed, roadways are a whole lot safer but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
SafeMotorist.com reports that of the ten deadliest days on the road throughout the year, July and August lay claim to seven of them. In fact, four of the first twelve days of August can be quite fatal for motorists involved in car accidents in New York City and throughout the country.
A recent study in Indiana reported by Pharos-Tribune has New York car accident attorneys wondering if our state shouldn’t publish a similar comprehensive study so motorists are aware of who is most at risk and what the deadliest days are since our climate is similar to the Midwest.
Most would probably consider colder icy and snow surfaced roads to be more dangerous but the truth is more people like to get out and travel during warmer months, which creates a high risk for injury on busy roads.
The analysis of Indiana road safety showed that an average of one in five crashes last year occurred in the months of July and August. August recorded 79 fatalities followed by July with 74 deaths reported. The report also indicated that motorcyclists were more at risk with an increase in injuries and deaths as a result of a higher crash rate for these two-wheeled vehicles.
SafeMotorist.com reports that July 2, 3, 4 and August 3, 4, 6, and 12 rank among the deadliest days of the year. August, October and July are the three deadliest months to drive of the year, respectively.
Saturday and Friday are the two deadliest days of the week. The time periods of 3:00-6:00pm and 6:00-9:00pm are the deadliest times of the day to be on roadways.
How does New York City compare? New York State Department of Motor Vehicles reports the following 2009 New York City accident statistics:
-Of the 52,252 police reported accidents in the City, 256 accidents were fatal.
-Pedestrians were most at risk with 158 deaths reported. Drivers accounted for 73 deaths, passengers accounted for 25 deaths and bicyclists accounted for 12 deaths.
-There were 15,122 accidents reported from 3pm-6pm and 11,638 of the accidents occurred from 6pm-9pm.
-Sunday was the most fatal day of the week with 50 deaths reported. Friday and Saturday ran a close second with 42 fatalities reported on each day.
-More than half of the total accidents had one or more factors related to causing the accident.
-Driver distraction, failure to yield and tailgating were the three leading causes of accidents.
-Males drivers were involved in 64 percent of accidents.
-The age group most at risk of being in an accident was 25-29 year-olds for both males and females.
-There were 27 motorcyclists fatalities reported in New York City in 2009.
Whether you feel you fit into one of these categories or not, motorists are reminded that we are approaching some of the deadliest traffic days of the year so use a little extra caution in order to avoid a motor vehicle crash as we finish up the summer driving months.
Contact the Law Offices of Nicholas Rose, PLLC if you have been severely injured in a car accident in Manhattan, Queens or the surrounding areas. Call 1-877-313-ROSE (7673) for a free consultation today.
Additional Resources:
Report: Summer months deadliest for motorists, by Maureen Hayden posted in Pharos-Tribune.
New York City Injury Attorneys Wish You a Safe Fourth of July, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, July 3, 2011.
New York Motorcycle Fatalities Increase, Despite National Decrease, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, July 12, 2011.
