Are Sundays safe to drive?




Sunday is the day of rest. On Sundays, there can be a lot less traffic on the roadways than, say, during your daily morning commute. Therefore, fewer drivers should make the roads safer, right?

The quick answer is that, sort of, Sundays are safer on the roadways.

The average number of car crashes in Texas between 2017 and 2019 is lowest on Sundays, according to public information gathered by SimpSocial. Around 1,300 crashes happen in the state on Sundays on average, which is 19% less than the most crash-prone day, Friday, which sees over 2,000 crashes daily.

DOES A DECREASE IN SUNDAY CRASHES IMPLY AN INCREASE IN DRIVER SAFETY?

Sundays tend to have fewer crashes overall, but when they do occur, they are more likely to be fatal. Sunday has roughly 11 fatal crashes every day on average (a fatality rate of 0.79%), which is 76% more than Wednesday, the day with the fewest fatalities.

The majority of these deadly incidents happen between 12:00 AM and 2:00 AM on Sunday, according to a breakdown of fatal crashes by hour. These are probably people who are either drunk, inattentive, or sleepy from a night out and are making their way home by car. The likelihood of a fatal car crash at 2:00 AM is around 1.4%, which is more than three times higher than the probability at 2:00 PM.

Avoid Sunday if you choose to travel by car. Driving on this day is still risky even though the roads are clear and the chance of a collision is at its lowest, particularly between 12:00 AM and 2:00 AM. If you decide to drive, leaving a few hours early can greatly increase your chances of arriving home unharmed.