Summer, Not Winter, Most Dangerous Time to Drive

MINNEAPOLIS - Most Americans believe winter is the most dangerous time for driving, but the truth is summer is the most dangerous, with the Fourth of July weekend being the deadliest.

In survey findings released today, researchers at the University of Minnesota's Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) found 83 percent of Americans consider winter to be "the most dangerous season to be driving on rural roadways."

Summer is actually the most dangerous time, but only eight percent believe that. Four percent found spring the most dangerous time, and four percent see fall as the most dangerous time.

The Fourth of July is often the most dangerous driving day of the year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Crowded rural roads and holiday-related drinking are among the many factors that contribute to the danger.

"Americans' sense of seasonal driving risk is skewed," said Tom Horan of CERS, which conducted the survey. "We are wary of winter driving, but let our guard down during summer holidays, when fatalities are most likely to occur."

Rural roads are particularly perilous. While U.S. Census figures show that about one out of five (21 percent) Americans live in rural areas, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has found that about six out of 10 (57 percent) percent of highway deaths occur on roads that it considers rural.

Lighter traffic and pleasant scenery on rural roads can lull drivers into a false sense of security. This can lead to unsafe speeding, distracted driving, unbelted or impaired driving and fatigue -- all of which increase the likelihood of a crash.

After a crash, emergency response time to a rural areas and hospital transport times can be lengthy and jeopardize survival rate. Crash victims are five to seven times more likely to die from their injuries unless they arrive at a trauma center in the first half-hour following the crash.

Monday, CERS also released the Top 100 Summer Rural Hot Spots, or the rural areas that have experienced the most fatalities over the past eight years during the summer months. While 32 states have rural areas in the Top 100, the states with the most "hot spots" are Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia (in alphabetical order). Because of ties, there are 115 hot spots on the Top 100 list. A searchable map showing all of the hot spots is available at www.saferoadmaps.org .

The driving survey was sponsored by CERS, and conducted by Critical Insights of Portland, Maine. The findings reflect responses from a national probability sample of 1,205 registered voters who drive at least once per week. The margin of error is +- 2.8 percent.