‘Tis the season ... for collisions on the road; check conditions

THOUGH STILL FALL, WINTRY weather has already made an appearance, bringing icy roads with it. With that in mind, police officials are reminding drivers that a change of driving habits is in order, as collisions are likely to increase.

More than 50 per cent of collisions occur on the straight sections of open road. This means that you are more likely to get in a crash at a non-intersection, implying that the crash does not require a second vehicle. In such cases, the blame on a single-vehicle crash most often lies with the driver, police say.

Wild and domestic animals, inattentive/ distracted drivers and excessive speeds are the three leading causes of collisions. Along with failing to yield right-of-way, following too closely and losing control receive honourable mention. Most reportable-collisions are credited to one of those six causes and all but one put the blame squarely on a driver.

It would be fair to say that winter driving is a perishable skill given that November sees the most vehicle collisions followed by a steady decrease until spring. The spike in crashes in June follows a similar pattern in that it marks a drastic change in season and a drastic change in driving habits. It’s about the inclement weather in early winter and the over confidence in early summer.

Sundays receive the award for most collisions followed by Mondays and Fridays. Police see a correlation between an increased number of collisions and a transition period, going from a weekday mindset to a weekend mindset and viceversa.

Collisions most notably increase toward 5 p.m. with a second smaller increase occurring around and at 8 a.m. These numbers align proportionally with traffic volumes and daylight hours, where commuter traffic and the dusk/dawn being the most obvious contributor. Conversely, 3 a.m. and the early hours of the morning see very few crashes, showing the connection between traffic volumes and collisions numbers.

More than 70 per cent of reported collisions occur on clear days with very few occurring during freezing rain, drifting snow and fog. While this may seem contrary to popular belief, during extreme weather events drivers will typically drive slower therefore damages in crashes will be less and anything below $2,000 in damages is nonreportable. Conversely, the high speeds driven on clear days and the overconfidence of good visibility and control will see clear-day collisions amount to greater damages.