Is Your Daily Commute the Most Dangerous Part of Your Day?

According to LexisNexis Risk Solutions, 47% of car crashes in the US occur during rush hour windows (from 6 a.m.-9 a.m. and again from 4 p.m.-7 p.m.) Simply the fact that these are the busiest time windows out on the road does contribute to the increased risk of getting in a car accident. 

If you think about it, for most of us on a normal workday, risks, and dangerous situations are not something we think about. The majority of our day is spent working anyway. 

Would it surprise you if your daily commute was the most dangerous part of your day? 

Aside from the fact that there are more cars on the road, there are other factors that come into play that can cause dangerous driving conditions. 

People are in a rush.

They don’t call it “rush hour” for nothing! 

During rush hour, drivers are trying to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. With an increased number of vehicles on the road, maneuvering through traffic with hurried drivers, road construction, merging, and more, there are a lot of factors to be cautious of. 

Even if you give yourself enough time to drive safely to and from work, the same can’t be guaranteed by other drivers on the road.

People can be distracted.

Workdays are busy and hectic. Maybe you have kids to get off to school, meetings to prepare for, and work to get done! Your work life is important, but you still have a life outside of work. 

How many times have you seen another driver on the road eating breakfast, applying makeup, or talking on the phone? These are all forms of distracted driving. We get it, life is busy and if you have a long commute, it can feel like you’re saving time by taking care of things while you’re on the way to work. However, distracted driving poses a significant risk to everyone on the road! 

People are stressed.

As we said, the workdays are always a bit hectic and even stressful at times. It’s likely that you have obligations outside of work plus all that you’re responsible for at your job. 

The drive to work is always stressful in and of itself. Sometimes making it there on time is the least of your worries. The same goes for every other driver on the road! Road rage is real and it can be common during rush hour, given the circumstances we covered above. 

All in all, the points we have discussed today indicate that, indeed, your daily commute may be the most dangerous part of your day! Especially if you have a desk job or if your job is not inherently dangerous. 

We hope we’ve given you some points to consider as you brave the roads each day to and from work. We all have enough to worry about, a car accident shouldn’t be included. But – life happens! 

If you do find yourself in an accident and in need of legal representation, give us a call today.