Studies Show Easier Commutes, More Congestion on Holidays and Weekends

It’s summer and, as a general rule, that means more traffic on the nation’s highways. School’s out, putting many more young drivers on the roads at all times of the day and night. Three of the busiest traffic holidays of the year come in the summer months—Memorial Day, the 4th of July and Labor Day. Most people take their vacations in the warmest months of the year. As federal officials have tracked motor vehicle accidents over the past quarter of a century, the actual accident rate has remained virtually unchanged. What the statistics consistently show is that more traffic on the roads results in a higher number of accidents.

How Traffic Patterns Shift in the Summer Months

From Labor Day through Memorial Day, the most dangerous time to be on the roads is during the morning or evening commute. From the end of May through the end of August, though, commuters get a bit of a hiatus on the roads, as vacations cause drive-time traffic to plummet. Data indicates that many vacationers will hit the roads on Friday night or Saturday morning, typically returning on Saturday or Sunday of the following week. While the weekend days typically see high levels of congestion in urban areas, the majority of vacationers are intentionally getting away from cities. Not surprisingly, there’s a dramatic increase in congestion in beach, resort and rural areas during the week in the summer.

The conclusion is obvious—if you are able to travel during the week, rather than on the weekend, you’ll likely face less traffic, less congestion and less risk of an accident. Furthermore, if possible, stay home with family on the holidays. In addition to the increased traffic, there’s typically in increase in drinking and driving on the holidays.