Beware: clear days, straight roads and a strong economy contribute to collisions

It just could be that the most dangerous place to find yourself behind the wheel is on a clear day, travelling along a straight stretch of highway when the economy is chugging along as quickly as you are. 

According to Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), more than half of all collisions occur on straight sections of road, in good weather, and during the morning and evening work commutes. 

"A lot of it can probably be related to an overconfidence," said OPP community officer Joshua Cunningham. "The road is clear, I can drive fast or my visibility is quite a ways down the road and I can project what's going to happen. That overconfidence can lead to more collisions."

The vast majority of accidents are minor, especially when the weather isn't very good, said Mark Fabbroni, practice lead, collision reconstruction and trucking with 30 Forensic Engineering.

"While worse conditions are certainly more dangerous, the incredible thing about humans is when we can observe a hazard and we know what we're dealing with, we're actually attentive and cautious," he said. 

A good economy

Another factor in collision numbers is our commute to work. The OPP points to 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. as the times of day when accidents go up—not surprising given that's when there's the highest number of vehicles on the road. 

Collision numbers also follow economic trends, according to Fabbroni. 

"The lower the unemployment rate is, the more people are going to work, and we do most of our driving going back and forth to work," he said.

"So when you're looking at any year over year data, you always want to look at how it compares in context with the economic activity in the area."

Speed kills

While most collisions don't result in death or serious injury, driver speed increases the likelihood of a catastrophic outcome from a crash.

"The bigger the speed, the bigger the crash. The bigger the crash, the bigger the loss," said Cunningham. 

Speeding is the number one action by drivers that Fabbroni would change. 

"We, as a society, have a habit of speeding and the consequences of speeding are many," he said.

"Not only will it increase the severity of an event when it happens, but it also increases your braking distance. It increases the amount of time you travel before your brain detects something and perceives that it should come up with a response."

Heading into winter

Both Fabbroni and Cunningham want drivers to slow down and drive in accordance with the weather conditions when winter comes, but they're also strong advocates for snow tires.

"If you have winter tires, use them," said Fabbroni. "If you don't have winter tires, seriously think about getting some or staying off the road during or in the immediate aftermath of severe winter storms."

"We see quite a number of these light collisions happen in slippery conditions because a driver hasn't changed their tires to winter tires or their tires are in really poor condition."

The bottom line

Regardless of the weather, the time of day, the road conditions, or the economy, Cunningham urges drivers to focus on driving—and only driving—when they're behind the wheel. 

"Sometimes people put their minds in neutral when they're driving and it's a recipe for disaster," he said.

"If you're not focused with the attention necessary to drive a 2,000 lb vehicle, you shouldn't be. That's the bottom line."