Auto
Crashes By Weather Condition and Light Condition
According
to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA"),
in 2000, there were 17,182 fatal crashes in normal weather conditions
in the daylight. There were 1,229,000 injury crashes which occurred
in normal weather in the daylight.
In rainy conditions, 1,351 fatal crashes occurred in daylight,
495 in dark, but lighted conditions, 823 in the dark, and
121 at dawn or dusk. Similarly, in rainy conditions, 133,000
crashes occurred in daylight, 43,000 in dark, but lighted
condtions, 24,000 in the dark and 11,000 at dawn or dusk.
In snow/sleet conditions, 347 fatal crashes occurred in the
daylight, 72 in dark, but lighted conditions, 228 in the dark
and 42 at dawn or dusk. In snow/sleet conditions, 24,000 injury
crashes occurred in the daylight, 8000 in dark, but lighted
conditions, 10,000 in the dark, and 2,000 at dawn or dusk.
For property damage only crashes, 2,587,000 crashes occurred
under normal conditions in the daylight, 496,000 in dark,
but lighted conditions, 406,000 in the dark, and 140,000 at
dawn or dusk.
All of the categories combined (fatal, injury and property
damage only) yield statistics demonstrating that 3,834,000
crashes occurred in normal conditions in daylight, 436,000
crashes occurred in rainy conditions, 95,000 total crashes
occurred in snow/sleet conditions all during daylight hours.
763,000 total combined crashes occurred in dark, but lighted
normal conditions, 128,000 total crashes occurred in rainy
conditions where the lighting was dark, but lighted, 36,000
total crashes occurred in snow/sleet conditions where it was
dark, but lighted.
Total crashes occurring in dark conditions can be broken
down as follows: normal conditions, 587,000, rainy weather
83,000, snow/sleet 41,000, and other 17,000.
These figures demonstrate that the overwhelming majority
of auto accidents which occur in this country each year occur
in normal conditions in the daylight. Rainy conditions produced
the next highest number of accidents followed by snow/sleet.
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