The time of year which is worst for road accidents

Although accidents happen on UK roads at all times of the year, statistics clearly show that the winter months are the time of the year which are worst for road traffic accident. This is perhaps not surprising as the kinds of weather conditions that Britain often experiences during the months of winter can make driving extremely difficult. Figures indicate that October, November and January are the months of the year which are worst for accidents – with January usually proving the single month with the most crashes – thanks to a combination of rain, snow, strong winds, fog and freezing cold which make road surfaces difficult and visibility poor.

One of the major reasons why winter is the time of year when the most road accidents happen is because the visibility enjoyed by drivers on the roads during winter is greatly diminished. Winter often produces fog and mist, which both make it hard for drivers to see other vehicles in front and behind them on the roads. Even if it is not a misty day, general visibility during winter will still be poor, simply because it gets dark a lot early in Britain at that time of the year. The statistics demonstrate that darkness is a major contributory factor in road accidents – with around 42 percent of all deaths on UK roads happening in the dark. In order to combat problems of reduced visibility, drivers need to ensure that windows and mirrors are kept clear and that lights are working properly.

Another major cause of winter road deaths are the strong winds which often hit Britain during this time of the year. Gale force winds make it much harder for drivers to maintain control of their vehicles on the roads, leading to many of the crashes and collisions that take place. As there is less that can be done to combat this, it is fortunate that it is not quite as frequent an issue.