In the United States, car crashes are shockingly common. In fact, there are nearly 600 car accidents every hour of every day, every year. And, nearly 100 people die every day as a result of these collisions. Unfortunately, even when we look behind these fatalities, there is not a whole lot that Pennsylvania residents can do to avoid these accidents.
The causes are other people
The primary causes of car accidents are the negligence of other people. This means that no matter how good of a driver you are, or how defensively you drive, you are always competing against the bad acts of others. You have to be perfect 100% of the time to avoid a motor vehicle accident, but they need to be negligent enough once. That is the frustrating deal we all make on the road. We are all at the mercy of our worst drivers.
What are the primary causes?
Impaired driving (drinking and the like) and speeding account for most fatal car accidents. Intoxicated drivers kill nearly 14,000 people a year, and another 11,000 die otherwise. Combined, that is 25,000 lost loved ones due to the negligence of another. Put another way, that is nearly 70 people a day or almost three people an hour that these people kill because they just need to have that drink at lunch or shave off that extra minute.
What about the time and day?
There is indeed a correlation between the time, day and fatal car crashes. Friday, Saturday and Sunday account for almost half of all fatalities. And, over one-third occur before midnight and after 6. And, this continues into holidays as well as the most dangerous day to drive being Independence Day.
So, do not drive on weekends, at night or on the holidays?
Maybe. Perhaps it is better to take Pennsylvania public transportation on those days or have a staycation. However, you should never live your life based on fear.