Facing Down the Polar Vortex: Sharp Increase in Car Accidents in Wintertime

If you rely on a car for transportation – and if you live anywhere in the United States, odds are you do – you are likely to be involved in at least one car accident during your lifetime. Indeed, the reality is that depending on where you do live in the country, you are at risk of being involved in more than one car accident as an adult. Another fact to bear in mind is that there is a sharp increase in the automobile accident rate during the winter months. With much of the country trying to stave off the bitter effects of the Polar Vortex, wintertime motor vehicle accidents are a prime concern.

Basic Facts about Wintertime Car Accident Rate

Some locations in the United States are borne the brunt of harsh winter weather. With that said, even those regions that are spared bitter cold and snow face rainier conditions in wintertime, making roadways more hazardous.

Noting that caveat, nearly one out of five of all car accidents that occur in the United States happen during snowy roadway conditions, according to the Federal Highway Administration. A full 70 percent of U.S. roads are in areas in the country that experience snowy and icy roadway conditions each year.

Nearly 2,000 people die each year driving in snowy and icy conditions. Over 135,000 people in the United States are injured in car accidents that occur during snowy and icy weather, many of these individuals experiencing serious and even debilitation injuries. These deaths and injuries occur as the result of about 150,000 individual crashes. In other words, a significant majority of wintertime accidents are so severe they result in injuries and deaths.

Bad Winter Weather: A Contributing Cause of Nearly All Car Accidents

Across the United States, poor weather conditions are at least a primary contributing factor to serious motor vehicle crashes. For example, a distracted driver’s inattention is compounded by the timeframe needed to bring a vehicle to a stop when a roadway is snow covered or icy. Bringing a car to a stop on snowy or icy roads can take 10-times longer than on a dry street. Thus, the combination of driver inattention and winter road conditions can prove deadly.

The bottom line is that a myriad of different types of situations are tremendously aggravated and made far more dangerous as the result of adverse weather conditions in the wintertime. These include everything from mechanical malfunctions of a vehicle to another motorist who is fatigued or somehow impaired when behind the wheel.

Injuries in Wintertime Car Accidents

As mentioned a moment ago, wintertime car accidents can be very serious. The injuries arising from these types of automobile accidents can be very serious and include:

• Traumatic brain injury
• Broken bones
• Internal injuries
• Soft tissue injury
• Burns
• Cuts, abrasions, and other wounds

In an alarming number of wintertime automobile accidents, a victim of someone else’s roadway negligence suffers debilitating or disabling injuries that impact that person’s life for a truly extended period of time.

Protect Your Legal Rights with a Car Accident Attorney Who Fights for You

If you or a loved one have been injured in a wintertime car accident, you undoubtedly have many questions about your legal rights. A Doan Law Firm car accident lawyer is available to answer any questions you have. You can reach our legal team any time of the day or night by calling us at (800) 349-0000. We are available to you 365 days a year, including all major holidays.

A nationwide law firm, we can schedule an initial consultation and case evaluation with a car accident lawyer at any of our 40 offices. We can also meet with you at your home, at the hospital, or anywhere else that is convenient for you. We can arrange a virtual consultation with you online as well. There is never a charge for an initial consultation and case evaluation.

We make an attorney fee promise to you. The Doan Law Firm never charges an attorney fee unless we win for you. Our car accident lawyer team will fight tirelessly to get you the compensation you deserve in your case.