• 29
  • December
    2011

It's winter in Chicago and the snow is bound to fall. Although the season has started off fairly mild, it is unlikely that sidewalks, streets, highways and interstates throughout Illinois will remain clear of snow and ice much longer. As winter weather approaches, drivers need to be aware of changing road conditions and adjust driving style accordingly, allowing more time to reach your destination, being prepared for longer braking distances and knowing how to react when you drive over a patch of ice.

A recent study at Purdue University revealed that men over the age of 45 are more likely to crash their cars on snowy, icy roads and women tend to be safer drivers during the winter months. Particularly, men 4 and older driving pickups or another four-wheel-drive vehicle are at the greatest risk of a weather-related car accident.

Investigators believe that there is a false sense of security related to all-wheel-drive vehicles. Although they allow drivers to accelerate more quickly on ice and snow, they do not change the distance it takes to safely brake under similar conditions.

Awareness of Winter Road Conditions: Rain, Snow and Ice

Road conditions that create a situation in which a car accident is likely to occur vary by gender, according to the study. Men tend to get into weather-related crashes on dry roads. Women, on the other hand, tend to get into serious car accidents on wet roads made slick by rain.

Women over 45 are four times more likely to get into a serious accident on wet roads than on dry roads, while women under 45 are three times more likely to get into a car accident resulting in serious injury on rain-slicked roads. But, on roads covered in snow or ice, women are less likely to be in a car accident.

As the roads eventually do become snow- and ice-covered, Chicago rear-end collisions become more likely if drivers do not properly adjust to changing road conditions. Understanding the weather conditions that are more likely to lead to car accidents is one of the keys to reducing the rate at which serious injuries and deaths occur on Chicago streets and Illinois highways. The results of this particular study show that drivers still need to slow down and be aware of their conditions, and that a bigger, four-wheel drive car with anti-lock brakes doesn't necessarily mean you are safer.

This winter, slow down and drive safer. You, and everyone else on the road, will be thankful for it.

Source: Chicago Tribune, "Different road conditions are a factor in crashes involving male, female drivers, study finds," 5 December 2011