Winter driving is dangerous, particularly at holiday time

A previous post on this blog described a recent accident in the Charlotte area which was caused by black ice. Apparently, a driver was going too fast to account for the slippery, and hard-to-see, ice on the road and thus lost control of the vehicle.

Winter weather is frequently to blame for car accidents. According to one study, winter driving conditions account for almost half of all accidents on the road that police attribute in some way to the weather, with the weather in the other nine months of the year account for the rest.

Although one hopes that the forecast over the next couple of weeks will call for good weather in North Carolina, the always looming possibility of winter weather could be made even more problematic by the presence of a lot more cars on the road.

According to the American Automobile Association, or AAA, 102.1 million people across the country will be traveling for the holidays between December 22 and January 1. This is about the highest the number has been since the AAA started keeping track back in 2001, and it is a 4.4 percent increase over last year’s numbers.

North Carolina drivers will need to be on the lookout for winter weather as they take to the road for the holidays or, for that matter, just their regular commutes. They will also need to be prepared to slow down while driving and be on the alert for unexpected traffic jams given the strong possibility of increased congestion. Those who get hurt over these next few days by a negligent driver may have legal options available to them.