Crashes Spike Near the Vernal & Autumnal Equinoxes

In 2016, you’ll notice from January through December the spikes in fatal crashes were in March, September, October, and December. I used only fatal crashes as to limit counting the numerous car crashes per county. I also only used Boone and Cole counties. One could argue if more crashes are occurring during the morning commute and evening commute, especially if they are headed due east in the morning and due west in the evening, this could be due to the sun’s angle and sun’s glare.

During the equinoxes, the sun’s rays are directly over the equator, bringing 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night which would explain why more crashes would occur during the commutes during the weeks near the equinoxes. December 2016 spike one could argue is due to more traveling for the holiday. For additional weather updates follow @ABC17Stormtrack on Twitter and like us on Facebook.