Fall Driving Can Lead to Accidents and Higher Auto Insurance Costs

A recent study suggests that drivers should be at their most careful during the autumn months, based on road safety statistics and accidents that impact the price of auto insurance.A recent study suggests that drivers should be at their most careful during the autumn months, based on road safety statistics and accidents that impact the price of auto insurance.

The University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute reported this week that the month of October has the highest fatality rates of the year - 10.2 per billion kilometers driven.

The report cited research by the institute's Michael Sivak, who concluded that October, November and December have the worst fatality rates, while March, February and April have the lowest ones, respectively. Fatalities tend to increase from March to October and then start to decline from October to March, according to the research.

Sivak noted that many people might expect fatalities to be higher in the summer, since more people are taking road trips and also tend to consume more alcohol. One reason for the findings may be the increased hours of darkness that characterize the later fall months.

Sivak also indicated that there is no one individual cause for the highway fatality trend. Still, the study may serve as a reminder to drivers that they should drive carefully throughout the year to avoid accidents and unnecessary expenses on their auto insurance policies.

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