AAA releases study on traffic-related deaths

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For Greene County News

DAYTON — Dangerous winter storms and bad weather are a factor in nearly half a million crashes and more than two thousand road deaths every winter, according to the latest research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. With measurable snow expected to hit the area this weekend, AAA is urging motorists to be prepared and to remain cautious if driving.

“It’s no secret that wet and snow covered roads are more dangerous,” said AAA Spokesperson Cindy Antrican. “But the latest research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety really paints a new picture of just how many lives are lost as a result.”

Almost half (about 46 percent) of crashes involving bad weather take place in the winter, making this the worst time of year for driving. The highest proportion of crashes involving bad weather happen overnight from 6 p.m. until 5:59 a.m., when visibility is limited and roads are most likely to freeze. Previous research also has found that the rates of fatal crashes are higher during the first snowfall of the year than on subsequent days with snow.

“Even though the Miami Valley area is not expected to see any serious impact from the storm, it doesn’t take heavy accumulations to increase the risk of traffic crashes. Drivers having a false sense of security because of lesser accumulations may be at greater risk,” said Mike Belcuore, AAA Driving School Marketing Manager.

The new AAA Foundation research report (Motor Vehicle Crashes, Injuries and Deaths in Relation to Weather Conditions), analyzed bad weather and crashes throughout the year. The study found that rain, snow, sleet and fog are a factor in more than 1.1 million police-reported crashes, 425,000 injuries and 5,100 traffic deaths per year. The average crash data for various types of bad weather includes:

Crashes Injuries Deaths
Rain 518,303 206,474 2,239
Snow 189,416 51,267 523
Sleet 36,491 11,644 143
Fog 21,616 8,167 374

The study did uncover surprising news. Crashes in bad weather are generally less severe than crashes taking place in clear weather. For example, crashes that occur on snow-covered roads result in 31 percent fewer injuries per crash and 47 percent fewer fatalities per crash than on dry roads. While the new study was unable to examine the impact of bad weather on the risk of being involved in a crash in the first place, other studies have found that rates of all types of crashes generally increase in bad weather, but that the increases in minor crashes are larger than the increases in more severe crashes.

AAA recommends the following eight tips to remain safe while driving in snowy and icy conditions:

– Stay home. If you really don’t have to go out, don’t. Even if you can drive well in the snow, not everyone else can. Don’t tempt fate.

– Drive slowly. Everything takes longer on snow-covered roads. Accelerating, stopping, turning – give yourself time to maneuver by driving slowly.

– Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Apply the gas slowly to regain traction and avoid skids. Don’t try to get moving in a hurry and take time to slow down for a stoplight. Remember: It takes longer to slow down on icy roads.

– Increase your following distance to eight to ten seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop.

– Know your brakes. Whether you have antilock brakes or not, keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.

– Don’t stop if you can avoid it. There’s a big difference in the amount of inertia it takes to start moving from a full stop versus how much it takes to get moving while still rolling. If you can slow down enough to keep rolling until a traffic light changes, do it.

– Don’t power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads just starts your wheels spinning. Try to get a little inertia going before you reach the hill and let that inertia carry you to the top. As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed downhill slowly.

– Don’t stop going up a hill. There’s nothing worse than trying to get moving up a hill on an icy road. Get some inertia going on a flat roadway before you take on the hill.

Far too many drivers become stranded on the roadside this time of year. AAA handles an average of 600,000 emergency roadside assistance calls per week in the winter with the most common problems being dead batteries, extractions, towing and flat tires.

AAA recommends keeping the following items in your “emergency kit” for winter driving: Bag of abrasive materials such as sand, salt or cat litter for gaining traction in snow and ice; Snow shovel; Flashlight; Gloves or mittens; Ice scraper and snow brush; Jumper cables; Blanket; Warning flare or triangles; Cellular phone and emergency charger; Food and water and First aid kit.

Story courtesy of AAA Public Affairs Manager Cindy Antrican.

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