Weather conditions can have a major impact on traffic safety. Often, Massachusetts drivers focus on snowy winter weather when thinking about dangerous weather on the roads. They check their cars carefully in the fall, replace their tires and adjust their schedules for optimal safety because they know that icy streets and drifting snow can cause numerous challenges in traffic.
However, snow and ice are only an issue for a small portion of the year in Massachusetts. Weather-related crashes are a year-round safety concern. Especially in the spring, when precipitation may occur nearly daily in some areas, rain storms can be a major traffic safety issue. Drivers need to understand how wet weather can affect their chances of being involved in a collision.
What does collision data show?
A federal analysis of weather-related crashes makes it clear that rain storms are a real threat on roads and highways. Approximately 47% or almost half of all reported collisions related to weather conditions occur during times of active rainfall. Falling rain can cause visibility issues, especially if someone does not have good windshield wipers. Aging or cheap wiper blades may smear dirt and debris on the windshield instead of keeping it clean.
The rain around the vehicle can also affect visibility and make it harder for someone to spot concerns in traffic. Rain storms may also come with heavy winds that affect people’s control of their vehicles. The darkness of cloud cover can also contribute to overall crash risk.
Even after the storm passes, the roads are still unsafe. Approximately 75% of crashes related to weather occur when pavement is wet. Despite the rain ending, the residual precipitation on street surfaces can affect safety. Drivers may need to slow down because they have reduced traction on wet pavement. They may also need to increase the distance they leave between their vehicle and others in traffic for the same reason.
Unfortunately, partially due to just how common rainstorms are, people are often dismissive of how dangerous they can be. Many drivers do not adjust their habits to reflect weather conditions and could then cause crashes due to that oversight. Overall, learning about the factors that contribute to traffic risk can improve people’s likelihood of reaching their destinations without incident, and help them take appropriate action if someone else causes a collision due to their negligent approach to safety concerns.
As we have discussed in previous posts, distracted driving always creates risk. This risk increases tremendously when aggravated by weather-related factors. Pay attention to weather conditions and know that drivers around you may be distracted. Your awareness may prevent a collision and the serious injuries that often occur with serious crashes.
