As a Californian, I drive a lot, and I was always pretty confident that I knew the most dangerous time to drive in California. It had to be rush hour, right?
Tens of thousands of people take to the roads in the Bay Area alone during rush hour, and I frequently see fender benders on my own drive.
According to a new study, though, that’s not actually the most dangerous time to drive in California. The real time is surprising.
The Most Dangerous Time on California’s Roads
The real time to watch out for? 9:00pm to 9:59pm. We’ll explore more about why down below.
This finding comes from a comprehensive study analyzing data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), conducted by a legal company. The research covered fatal crashes from 2017 to 2021 across the United States, giving a detailed picture of when driving is most hazardous.
The results for California were eye-opening. During this period, the state recorded 18,137 fatal crashes, and a staggering 1,144 of these occurred between 9:00pm and 9:59pm. This accounts for 6.31% of all fatal crashes in the state, a higher percentage than any other time of day. This was contrary to my assumption, and likely many others’, that rush hour would be the riskiest time to be on the road.
But it’s not just California that sees this trend. Nationally, the study found that 6:00pm to 6:59pm is the deadliest hour to drive, with this time frame accounting for 5.91% of the total 177,409 fatal crashes in the U.S. between 2017 and 2021.
Why This Time?
If you take a step back and think about the results, they make a lot of sense. There are indeed a lot of crashes during rush hour in California. But most of them aren’t fatal.
As any Bay Area driver knows, cars move very slowly during rush hour! Yes, there are many little fender benders. But the slow speed means most crashes aren’t fatal.
As the evening wears on, though, tired people are driving home from work, California’s many rural roads get very dark, and substances become more of a factor. Even though there’s fewer drivers on the road, the risk of a major crash goes up substantially later in the evening.
The Lesson
So, as a Californian who’s on the road quite often, this data serves as a stark reminder that danger doesn’t just lurk during the busy rush hour. It’s there in the quieter hours of the night too, making it crucial for all of us to stay vigilant and drive safely, no matter the time.
