From winter weather to heavy rain to fog: adverse weather can have a big impact on the rate of car crashes. Let's dive into a study that analyzes just how much that risk increases with various weather phenomena.
Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Southern Illinois University looked at data on crashes in the Carolinas from 2003-2019 in their 2022 article "Understanding the Role of Rainfall Intensity on Relative Car Crash Risk in the Carolinas."
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They found around 6.4 million car crashes total in the NCDOT and SCDPS databases, and there was a "statistically significant increase in crash risk" during rain. 1.3% of the crashes were during winter weather while just over 12% of crashes are due to the rain.
Heavy rain causes the biggest increase in crash risk with an 81% increase. During rain, your risk of a crash increases by 11.6% while the risk increases by 23% during adverse weather of any type.
This data can also be broken down by county across our area. The percentage of crashes that happen during rain are between 13-17% for some areas like in Wilson and Lee counties.
This should serve as reminder to use extra caution when there is any sort of adverse weather. Limit your speed, increase the distance between yourself and the car in front of you, and do not use your high beams during fog!