Rain and snow increase risk of fatal car crashes by 34 percent

(Click on the image for Jason Samenow's Washington Post report)

• A new study shows precipitation of every intensity substantially increases the risk of deadly motor vehicle crashes. These crashes are among the leading causes of accidental deaths in the United States and claim about 35,000 lives each year.
• The study, published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, found a 34 percent increase in the risk of a fatal crash when precipitation is falling.
• Light precipitation increased the risk of a fatal crash by 27 percent, while the risk more than doubled during heavy precipitation.
• [A]wareness campaigns, improved messaging in forecasts and even “the expansion of variable speed limits that adapt to road conditions” could make traveling safer.

Responsible drivers adapt to the increased risk by slowing down.