I am seeing even more speeding/erratic drivers than usual (Metro-Boston MA) and am wondering if it has to do with panicky last-minute Christmas shoppers.
Is there any indication of an up-tick in the accident rate around this time?
(and maybe on/around ‘Black Friday’)
Looks pretty much the same as always to me. More traffic coupled with the snow may give you a perception of bad driving but I haven’t seen any evidence of it.
However, there certainly is a spike in accidents around Christmas and New Years but that may be due to more people driving long distances and drunk driving. I haven’t read the whole report.
It is just anecdotal but I started a thread about a very bad misadventure I had with a driver Black Friday weekend. This was also in the Boston area.
In this holiday season, please guard against older or impaired drivers
Since there are more people in the stores that means more people on the road. More people on the road leads to more accidents.
Plus I think people are more stressed and distracted than usual.
This, I think.
Drivers are just in a hurry and inattentive this time of year.
This week last year, the kids wanted to go see a movie. I told my son to take my Yukon instead of his small Blazer. Sometimes, bigger IS better.
Sure enough, some idiot ran a red light and plowed into them head on when they were on the way home. They’re fine, her car was toast.
I sure as hell won’t ride a motorcycle anywhere this month.
My impression is that people are driving under duress. Specifically, people who might otherwise put off a trip to mall land or not make it at all are out there, jockeying for road and parking space when they’d rather be in Philadelphia. The pressures of the season make them rushed and irritated and ultimately careless.
A good part of these drivers are older ones who normally drive only a few miles a few days a week in the best conditions, and are now out in the crush, in iffy weather and darkness, with greatly diminished driving skills.
Bad combination, all of it. I say let’s ban the holidays.
I don’t know about statistics, but in less than an hour today two drivers ran stop signs right in front of me.
Anecdotal evidence: I don’t see any noticable uptick in auto accident claims this time of year. The spikes that I’ve noticed are in the spring when the weather turns nice. People are looking at the flowers and shit (no really–they tell me how pretty it was out and that they were distracted by it) and smashing into each other. Also, motorcyclists are out trying to ride and getting smashed by distracted drivers or wiping out on leftover sand from the snow days.
I would check my state’s stats, but I’m home on two weeks vacation.
You needed to be curious Thursday. 
Cite?
I would have expected that more people on the road leads to congestion, traffic jams, slow moving, and thus *fewer *accidents. But that’s just as guess, and ICBW.
There may be fewer accidents that require tows and insurance claims at Christmas ?
less commuter traffic ? more excuse to stay off the snowy roads…
Four times more fatalities on a Christmas day, New Years Day… worse on other holidays that are just single days … eg Thanksgiving is the worst.
Holidays in the USA increase road deaths in the USA to 400 road deaths a day .
In congested, slow moving traffic, you may have slower speeds but you’ll see more rear ends and sideswipes.
An insurance company has been running ads here claiming that December 22nd is “Fender-Bender Day” and asking drivers to be careful. They don’t cite statistics but I’m thinking an insurance agent would have them…
An insurance agent would have better numbers than me. I only see police reports, and one isn’t required for property damage only collisions. One study I’ve read said only about 30% of PDO collisions get reported, so I’m sure there’s more out there than I see.