According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in the U.S. in 2023, 40,901 people died in road crashes. But that shocking year-round spread of motor vehicle fatalities was inconsistent: some days were far deadlier than others.
This study will pinpoint the deadliest days of the year, what causes the accident spike, who’s involved, and how miles traveled play into crash risk.
On average, there were 110 road deaths per day across 2023. But which days topped the fatality list?
The Deadliest Road Accident Days Of The Year
The deadliest day for road accidents in 2023 was Saturday, October 21st, which featured 174 deaths: slightly more than the 172 on August 26, and the 169 fatalities that occurred on July 29.
Here are the ten deadliest traffic days from 2023.
So why is an October day more dangerous than a busy summer day in August or July?
The first key point is that October 21 was a Saturday (as was October 28, the fourth most dangerous day), which is usually the peak day of the week for accidents and crashes. That’s due to increased social activity, long-distance travel across the country, and late-night driving, with disproportionate examples of speeding and alcohol impairment.
Secondly, the transition from autumn to winter is always problematic from a safety standpoint. A sudden change to less daylight and misty, wintry weather conditions means poor visibility for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists alike.
Thirdly, Hallowe’en season has already begun, another factor behind a yearly rise in late-October road fatalities.
When we consider the second- and third-placed August 26 and July 29, a number of factors made those days especially dangerous for U.S. drivers. Both days were Saturdays – the peak accident day of the week.
National Safety Council (NSC) study data also suggests that August is the most dangerous month of the year for road accidents and fatalities, with July in second place.
In both cases, summer is in full swing, which means elevated vacation and social travel, but other factors are in play, such as more inexperienced drivers on the road due to no school or college, and the yearly high point of late-night celebrations, which can often mean impaired drivers.
It’s also worth pointing out that August and July are the two busiest months of the year when it comes to miles traveled on the road. Here’s a consecutive list of months, and the miles traveled during each (in billions).
According to the National Safety Council Injury Facts study data, in a typical year, the death rate per 100 million vehicle miles doesn’t fluctuate as much as the fatality rate.
During the study period, U.S. vehicle miles traveled were at their lowest numbers in January and February, and peaked in August. Fatalities were lowest between January and April and yet remained elevated between May and October, while the risk-adjusted death rate per 100 million vehicle miles was lowest in March and peaked in October.
Yet there are some anomalies deep in the data. For example, there’s a considerable increase in the number of vehicle miles traveled in March compared to February, partly due to spring break travel, during which millions of students and families hit the road.
This spike in traffic volumes, long-distance road trips, and nightlife-centric driving leads to a significant increase in accidents and fatalities. (There’s then a significant drop in vehicle miles covered in April, before a huge rise in May.)
A University of Miami spring break study discovered the following.
- There’s an average 9.1% increase in traffic fatalities during spring break weeks in 14 destination counties across 7 states.
- Spring break travel accounts for, on average, 16 additional road deaths per year in those counties.
- At popular spring break destinations (like Ft. Lauderdale and Miami Beach), fatal crashes rise around 9% during spring break weeks compared to the rest of the year.
- There’s a rise in car crash fatalities over spring break in destinations across the following seven states.
- Texas
- Nevada
- South Carolina
- Arizona
- Virginia
- California
- Florida
Even when a month’s vehicle miles traveled numbers are relatively low, it may still feature some exceptionally dangerous days. A good example involves January’s MLK weekend, which has become one of winter’s most dangerous travel periods.
Though not widely viewed as a major travel holiday, MLK weekend frequently involves a high number of long-distance road trips, winter-weather crashes, and impairment-related fatalities. Multi-year data confirms MLK weekend dates rank anomalously high each January.
The same can be said around a month later, over the Presidents’ Day weekend.
How President’s Day Causes Winter Driving Danger
During 2023 in the U.S., there were 320 fatal crashes and an estimated 22,293 injury crashes in conditions involving snow or sleet. And Presidents’ Day (celebrated on the third Monday of February) represents a significant winter driving risk.
CDOT refers to the Presidents’ Day weekend as a ‘three-day stretch that historically draws some of the highest mountain traffic totals of the year’ on I-70 and other mountain corridors, and recommends extreme caution for winter drivers.
It’s a period during which many people take the opportunity to head off to ski resorts and mountain towns, and an occasion that usually involves a high number of vehicles unprepared for winter driving conditions, which subsequently leads to a high number of road closures, delays, and car crashes.
In February 2024, 46 passenger vehicle crashes were reported on the I-70 mountain corridor, with the highway closed for 15 hours due to crashes and emergency response team activity.
According to CDOT data, every hour the I-70 mountain corridor is closed to traffic represents an economic impact of up to $2 million.
Any ‘occasion’ day normally leads to a spike in alcohol-impaired driving offences. And alcohol remains a hugely significant part of the deadliest driving days of the year.
In 2023, 12,429 people died in drunk driving traffic crashes in the U.S. That’s nearly a third of all traffic fatalities nationwide. NHTSA study data suggest that men aged 21-34 represented the highest percentage of drunk drivers in those fatal crashes.
It’s also true that older drivers are significantly vulnerable to road danger.
The Rise In Road Danger For Older Drivers
The number of motor vehicle deaths involving drivers (and other road users) aged 65 and over increased slightly in 2023 (to 9,587, from 9,545 in 2022). This marks a consistent trend, with the number of deaths involving those aged 65 and over increasing 40% in the space of a decade.
At the same time, the population of older adults in the United States has increased 28%, resulting in a death rate increase of 9.3% (per 100,000 of the population).
NHTSA data tells us that almost 65% of traffic deaths in 2023 involved either an older (65+) driver or their passenger. The breakdown is:
- Older driver deaths: 4,829 (56.9%)
- Passengers riding with an older driver: 725 (8.5%).
According to 2023 CDC data, older adult motor-vehicle deaths included:
- 464 non-traffic deaths
- 6,408 vehicle occupant traffic deaths
- 652 motorcyclist traffic deaths
- 1,848 pedestrian traffic deaths
- 211 bicyclist traffic deaths
- 4 other or unspecified traffic deaths.
The crash involvement and fatality vulnerability of drivers aged 65 and older is due to a number of factors. One is their reduced ability to react in a timely manner to road threats, declining hand-eye coordination at the wheel, and reduced visibility when dealing with poor weather conditions.
During high-volume holiday travel periods, older drivers struggle to cope with increased driving demands. Additionally, their comparative physical frailty is a huge factor. While they are involved in fewer overall crashes than younger drivers, they’re much more likely to die from injuries they suffer during a crash.
Due Caution On Danger Days Is Essential
The study underlines the deadliest travel days in the American calendar. Perhaps surprisingly, the top-ranking day (October 21) is not a summer day.
But it’s easy to see why that date featured so many road fatalities: the transition from autumn to winter offers drivers a jarring reminder of rapid road condition deterioration, with visibility also poor as Hallowe’en kicks into gear.
Spring and summer days are also dangerous, with spring break a key danger period, leading to prominent rises in fatality numbers across numerous Southern states, including Texas, Nevada, and South Carolina. Summer days in June, July, and August make up half the top ten most dangerous days driving list.
The transition from autumn to winter is always problematic from a safety standpoint
Increased holiday travel is often a key issue, and during the summer months, with longer daylight hours and more cars on the road, busy roads inevitably mean congestion and accident potential. And alcohol is a significant road crash factor, with men aged 21-34 disproportionately represented among fatal crashes.
Older drivers (65+) suffer a high number of fatalities due to their comparative inability to cope with busy roads, negotiate poor weather conditions, or withstand crashes, due to burgeoning physical frailty.
Ultimately, to stay safe during the deadliest days on American roads, it’s better to understand the main dangers and prepare accordingly, and get to your destination as early as possible to avoid numerous risk factors. Increased volume on U.S. roads equals a greater level of danger.
And it’s also worth remembering what our study emphasizes: there are highly dangerous days in every month of the year, including the months that feature the lowest number of road miles covered (such as January and February).
If you’ve been injured in a car accident in Atlanta and it wasn’t your fault, Bader Law can help you file a claim and can negotiate directly with insurers to pursue a fair settlement on your behalf.
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