For many people, summer is synonymous with travel. It’s a time to get out and enjoy the gifts of the world around us, with loved ones by our side.
These months are also, unfortunately, maybe the most dangerous time to be out on the road. Once the warm weather settles in, car crashes resulting in serious injury tend to rise. Here’s what the numbers tell us.
More injuries and fatalities during the summer months
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security keeps track of serious crashes and publishes some of the data on its website. Looking just at 2018 and 2019, we can see a clear trend.
Crashes that result in serious injuries or fatalities tend to slowly increase as the weather warms, with the months of May through September often having notably more wrecks than other times of the year. For example, here are the figures from that stretch during 2019:
- May – 439 crashes with serious injuries; 103 with fatalities
- June – 437 crashes with serious injuries; 101 with fatalities
- July – 400 crashes with serious injuries; 98 with fatalities
- August – 414 crashes with serious injuries; 91 with fatalities
- September – 483 crashes with serious injuries; 109 with fatalities
The other seven months saw an average of 345 crashes with serious injuries and about 82 crashes with fatalities.
Recovery after a bad crash
These figures fit with a common safety refrain: That the period from Memorial Day through Labor Day tends to be the most dangerous stretch of the year for motorists.
Every summer, hundreds of drivers and vehicle occupants here in Tennessee see their life abruptly changed, possibly forever. Certain injuries can linger for years or even decades, affecting your day-to-day life and potentially requiring routine medical treatment. When a crash was caused by another person’s negligence, it is possible to hold them responsible.
As we go through these warmer months together, be sure to take care of yourself and loved ones, while trying to remain safe. For those who find themselves in an unfortunate situation, know you can seek help.