According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, millions of car accidents each year, approximately 12% of all vehicle crashes and other accidents, occur during adverse weather conditions. Based on five-year averages between 2019 and 2023, bad weather causes 11% of all crash injuries and 9% of all fatalities. With 4,488 traffic death fatalities in 2022 in California and a wide variety of weather hazards, from snow, wind and dust storms, safe driving in inclement weather can save countless lives. Read on to learn more about these events and how you can prevent accidents when driving on California roads.
What Are Bad Weather Events?
Any type of weather scenario that interferes with driving safety qualifies as a bad-weather event. The FHWA found that 77% of weather-related accidents happened during misty or rainy conditions. The remaining accidents occurred during freezing precipitation, low visibility and severe crosswind conditions. Common standalone and mixed weather elements that interfere with driving include fog, mist, rain and flooding; ice, snow, blizzards and drifts; and wind-carried dirt, sand, soil, smog, smoke and other debris.
During these scenarios, a car might become unstable in crosswinds or lose pavement traction. A driver might fail to see other nearby traffic or vulnerable road users. Additional common weather variables that affect crash outcomes include air humidity and temperature, land obstruction, pavement temperature, the start, rate and end of precipitation, route submersion and wind speed.
What Other Factors Cause Crashes?
During adverse weather, many other outside elements can impact the severity of a car crash. For example, a driver who can’t access a wide enough shoulder, parking or rest spot, pull-off area or side road is more likely to have an accident. Nearby construction, infrastructure damage and other road conditions also affect how quickly a driver can find a safe place to stop or regain control of their vehicle. For example, in wet weather, a driver might experience a worse outcome because of sliding into a construction area that has a deep hole or heavy equipment.
Driver speed, the time of day, and traffic congestion also cause problems. A driver speeding in fog might misjudge the distance between their car and another in front of them. They might hit a vehicle because they’re driving too close, slam on their brakes, and then slide forward or sideways. A poorly maintained vehicle with thin brake pads or tire tread is also more likely to slide in these conditions.
A driver’s decisions impact their outcomes as well. People who drive while distracted because they choose to abuse alcohol or other substances, drink beverages or eat food, or take phone calls are more likely to have an accident during bad weather than at any other time. That said, other seemingly harmless decisions, such as merely driving in adverse weather or taking a known more-dangerous route, can also cause an accident.
How Can You Prevent These Incidents?
The obvious way to prevent a car crash in awful weather is to simply not drive when it looks bad outside. Yet, many Americans don’t have the luxury of staying indoors, especially if they go to school or work away from home. As a result, you need to act in other responsible ways to help reduce the risks.
For example, if a weather service states that a storm is supposed to end near a specific time, wait out the worst of the weather and then travel. Confirm that your vehicle is ready to handle the elements at least once a week by checking that the brakes and tires are in the best possible condition, all lights and high beams work, the windshield is clean, and the wiper blades have solid edges.
Before travel, confirm traffic conditions. Whenever possible, even if the trip takes longer, take the least risky route away from damaged roads, construction and areas that often lack appropriate barriers between traffic and potential threats, such as hill and mountain curves and roads with sudden drop-offs.
Lastly, always use headlights, limit sudden movements that might cause braking problems and out-of-control spins, avoid flooded and standing water zones, and drive below the speed limit. If a road has a 40-mph zone, for example, split the number in half. Some experts recommend only decreasing speed by a third, but many accidents happen because people reduce their speed and then start increasing it as their confidence grows. In congested traffic, drive even slower to force people around you to keep one-to-two car lengths away.
