When your teen is finally able to drive on their own, they’re going to have to start to get used to the chaotic circumstances you’ve dealt with for years. This includes paying attention to the forecast, weather reports and traffic alerts before they leave the house to get to school, work or wherever they need to go. Since they are too used to you taking them everywhere, they may not know how to prepare for rush hours and when they are.
Recently, Oklahoma’s Highway Safety Office unveiled a report for the state’s crash statistics for 2017. This report reveals how many people crashed during certain times of the day throughout the whole year. Parents should know the most dangerous times of the day so that their child can prepare for the hazardous roads.
7-9:00 a.m.
The crash count in the morning noticeably jumped right around 7:00. This shouldn’t come as a surprise since a large amount of Oklahoma workers have 8-5 job schedules. Additionally, over 90 percent of high schools in the United States start before 8:30 a.m. This means that your child not only has to deal with plenty of working commuters, but also other inexperienced students on their way to school. Use your experience from driving them to school to give them a couple of tips on when to leave and what roads to take.
12-2:00 p.m.
The second major spike occurs right around noon. Since this is a popular lunch hour at work, plenty of Oklahomans use this time to either drive to a restaurant for their meal or schedule an appointment to attend in their brief time off. While this may not affect your child as much in their high school years, you need to warn them once they start driving in college or during their new job around this time period.
3-6 p.m.
These three hours have the highest crash rates of the state. Unsurprisingly, 5-6 p.m. had the most crashes since that’s when most workers go home. However, plenty of employees work at earlier hours that make driving from 3-5 less of a cakewalk. Most schools tend to get out at 3:00, so there is at least more of a disconnect for what drivers to expect than in the morning. Inform your child to expect the inexperienced teens around 3:00 and the tired workers around 5:00.
By knowing what times most accidents occur throughout the week, your child can have an easier time planning their routes and when they leave even when you’re not with them. Unfortunately, a negligent driver can still hit them no matter how careful they are. If this happens, consider contacting a motor vehicle accident attorney to help you recover from this preventable incident.