By Rebecca Emmett
New research has revealed the most dangerous times to drive in America’s ten most populated states.
The study by personal injury law firm The Frank Santini Law Firm analyzed fatal crash statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration between 2019 and 2023 to show in the ten biggest US states the hour of the day when the highest share of fatal crashes occurred.
The most dangerous time to drive in America’s ten most populated states, ordered by population:
| State |
Average Population 2019-2023 (Census) |
Most Lethal Hour |
Average fatal crashes a year at this hour (2019-2023) |
Average fatal crashes per 100,000 people at this hour |
Average % of fatal crashes at this hour |
| California |
39,233,258 |
8:00 pm-8:59 pm |
248 |
0.63 |
6.60% |
| Texas |
29,664,935 |
9:00 pm-9:59 pm |
254 |
0.86 |
6.78% |
| Florida |
21,951,198 |
8:00 pm-8:59 pm |
226 |
1.03 |
7.08% |
| New York |
19,731,443 |
6:00 pm-6:59 pm |
67 |
0.34 |
6.57% |
| Pennsylvania |
12,948,971 |
3:00 pm-3:59 pm |
64 |
0.49 |
5.86% |
| Illinois |
12,656,945 |
9:00 pm-9:59 pm |
62 |
0.49 |
5.61% |
| Ohio |
11,759,650 |
6:00 pm-6:59 pm |
70 |
0.59 |
6.04% |
| Georgia |
10,816,515 |
9:00 pm-9:59 pm |
96 |
0.88 |
6.19% |
| North Carolina |
10,608,090 |
6:00 pm-6:59 pm |
92 |
0.87 |
6.31% |
| Michigan |
10,033,229 |
6:00 pm-6:59 pm |
61 |
0.61 |
6.05% |
The study found that in California, America’s most populated state, between 8 pm and 8:59 pm is the state’s most dangerous time to drive. There were 248 fatal crashes a year at this hour on average in the years studied, which is around 6.6% of the total fatal crashes each year. Florida also shared the same hour, with 226 fatal crashes a year at this time, which is around 7.08% of all fatal crashes.
In Texas, between 9 pm and 9:59 pm is the most dangerous time to drive. 254 fatal crashes occur a year at this hour on average, which is 6.78% of the total. This time is also the most dangerous time to drive in Illinois, where 62 fatal crashes a year occur, or 5.61% of the total, and Georgia, where 96, or 6.19% of all fatal crashes a year occur.
New York sees between 6 pm and 6:59 pm as its most dangerous time to drive, with 67 fatal crashes a year occurring at this time, which is 6.57% of all fatal crashes. This time is also shared by Ohio, where 70, or 6.04% of fatal crashes occur, North Carolina, where 92, or 6.31% of fatal crashes occur, and Michigan, where 61, or 6.05% of fatal crashes occur.
Pennsylvania is found to be the only outlier on the list. The most dangerous time to drive is 3:00 pm-3:59 pm, the only time in the list before 6 pm. 64 fatal crashes a year occur at this time on average in the state, which is 5.86% of the total.
Commenting on the findings, Frank Santini of The Frank Santini Law Firm said:
“With many of these states seeing rush hour and twilight hours as their most dangerous time, this is usually the time many people are commuting home or running errands after work. Even if your commute or routine is something you’ve done hundreds, if not thousands, of times, your driving awareness should always be top priority. Even if you may feel safe on your travels, it's important to make sure vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists do too, as anything can happen on the road.”
Source
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Methodology
- Fatal crash statistics were collected for each state from the years 2019-2023, with 2023 being the latest data available.
- From this, the hour of the day when each state had the most crashes over an average of the years studied was found.
- In this specific release, data was shown for the top ten most populated US states.
