Winter Weather Driving Stats and Facts

FACTS

  1. Whether behind the wheel or steering a snowmobile, sober driving is just as important in winter when conditions can change at a moment’s notice
  2. Police amp up impaired driving patrols in the holiday season when drivers are heading to and from social events
  3. Winter tires improve traction and shorten stopping distance. The performance of all-season tires suffers when temperatures dip below 7 C as their rubber loses elasticity, according to the Canadian Automobile Association
  4. Snow and ice are more slippery at 0 C than at -20 C or below, according to Transport Canada
  5. Driving on snowy roads can take your car 10 times longer to stop completely
  6. Transport Canada reports that black ice can be present on roads with temperatures between 4 C and -4 C. The slick, transparent ice can be found on roads, bridges and overpasses even long after sunrise
  7. Ice can form on bridges and overpasses before roads as the cold air underneath causes surface moisture to freeze
  8. USA Today found the deadliest times of day for winter car accidents in 2015: 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. According to the report, Saturday was the deadliest day (286 deaths), but Friday was a close second (197 deaths).
  9. According to a study done by the FHWA, non-fatal injuries and property damage incidents increase significantly when it snows, but fatal crashes decline.

STATS

  • About 17% of car accidents occur in snowy conditions (FHWA).
  • 156,164 auto crashes occur annually due to icy roads, federal data shows (FHWA).
  • 2000 people die and over 135,000 people are injured each year due to car accidents on icy and snowy road.
  • Each year, an average of 1,836 deaths and 136,309 injuries are attributed to conditions on icy and snowy roads.
  • Icy road fatalities account for more deaths than all other weather hazards combined (3.6 times more).
  • About 3,200 Americans died in motor vehicle accidents because of winter driving conditions, such as snow, freezing rain, sleet, or ice in the years 2011 to 2015.

Collisions in Canada

  • In 2017, nearly 30 per cent of collisions reported to the National Collision Database happened on wet, snowy or icy roads. One third happened in January, February, November and December
  • December had the second highest number of total collisions in 2017 with 26,824 incidents. Of those, more than 14,000 resulted in at least one injury
  • Single-vehicle collisions were most common in early winter with November, December and October ranking in the top three in 2017