With or without the influence of libations, we all become more excitable and enthusiastic during the winter holidays. It’s simply natural and enjoyable, and we all deserve celebrations at this time of year. But several thoughts jump to my mind, besides wishing all our colleagues joyful holidays — including our generation’s first “Thanksgivukah” when the first day of Chanukah falls on Thanksgiving Day, the last dating back to 1888!
Along with those happy thoughts, here’s the other: the winter holidays occur when roadway risks are at their highest of the entire year. Nightfall occurs early, the roads become, and jubilant citizens drive eagerly over hill and dale, many either under the influence of party libations or suffering from a growing number of distractions that interfere with our attentiveness to driving.
In fact, a CEI analysis of nearly 20-year analysis of accident data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that the winter months are statistically the most dangerous for motor vehicle accidents. The data shows that, mile for mile driven, there are 18 percent more accidents in winter than in summer. What may be surprising is that the rate of fatal accidents actually declines in winter by 8 percent from its peak in summer. At the same time, the frequency of property-damage only accidents is much higher in winter than summer, by 22 percent.
Since the force of the impact of collisions increases exponentially with increasing speed, the logical conclusion is that winter accidents are more likely to be at lower speeds than in those in summer. That makes sense because most of us drive more slowly when there’s ice and snow on the road and traffic in those conditions is often lighter, so there are fewer vehicles to collide with. Even so, slippery surfaces test our ability to follow vehicles at an appropriate distance and to stop and turn more cautiously. The numbers prove that many drivers fail those tests.
In summary, as fleet managers, it’s advisable to be keenly aware of these elevated risk factors: a cocktail blend of dark streets, slick roads, distracted driving all around us, and in what we and other drivers are more likely to drink when we’re celebrating. It’s also a time to remind fleet drivers that each of them is, in effect, a fleet risk manager themselves and need to adjust their driving behavior in light of the season’s hazards.
Be safe and peace to all.