That Friday Feeling? Not if You're a Driver, Says Crash Report
We all agree that there's nothing quite like the feeling of a Friday evening and walking out of the office with your head held high.
Research from accident management company Accident Exchange suggests that Friday evenings in November are the most dangerous time at which to be driving.
The combination of the wet conditions, the wettest in the year as it happens, and drivers still struggling to adjust to the loss of the light stolen from them by Daylight Saving mean that collisions and crashes are unfortunately very much the order of the day for motorists travelling between 5 and 6pm on the last weekday evenings of this month.
The figures were obtained by analysing more than 200,000 accidents over the course of five years.
November accounts for 9.2% of the UK's road accidents throughout the year, with December taking the responsibility for 8.9%
No matter what of time of year it is, Fridays carry an inherently greater risk of car accidents by virtue of being the busiest day of the week: drivers are twice as likely to have some misfortune befall them on this day than they are in the week's calmest day, Sunday.
"The statistics are just a word of warning at a time when driving conditions start to change for the worse for the winter months," Lee Woodley of Accident Exchange told the paper. "However the factors contributing to an accident are so numerous that the best advice is to remain vigilant at all times and to drive to the conditions around you."
The vigilance which Mr Woodley urges is incumbent on all road users. Road safety is a peculiar notion in that it is so simple to maintain. Lapses in safety and the resultant car crashes tend to be the result of factors that could all be easily eradicated or at the very least much improved.
From personal observations I have noted that impatience seems to be the biggest contributor to accidents on the road. If it's a dark and muggy Friday night, all most driver will be thinking about will be heading home to crack open the wine or have a cup of tea.
Sitting in a traffic jam is probably not most people's idea of relaxation after spending forty hours stuck behind a desk all week.
When the jam eventually unclogs, drivers may feel that they have time to make up. They are more likely to be feeling aggressive and this in turn will lead to tailgating and speeding. The perfect cocktail for crashes contains slippery roads, poor visibility, excess speed and non-existent braking distances.
The first two factors are set in stone, unfortunately, so it is up to Britain's motorists to make sure they calm down. After all, the journey is long enough without sitting on the hard shoulder swapping insurance details.
About the Author
Richard Craig is an author and blogger concerned with reducing the number of car accidents in the UK
http://www.accidentadvicehelpline.co.uk/road_traffic_accident_claims/car_accident_claims/
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