Bad weather conditions increase auto injury risk by 70%

Bad weather driving conditions result in a 70% increased risk of injury-related auto collisions between urban Canadian drivers, according to a report recently released by the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR).Presented by Jean Andrey, associate dean of geography at the University of Waterloo, the report “Toward a National Assessment of the Travel Risks Associated with Inclement Weather” compares precipitation-related collision data with that of collisions incurred during normal weather conditions. Specifically, the data uses detailed risk figures from a motor-vehicle collision analysis involving 27 major urban areas in Canada over a 17 year period. “The research shows that the risk of being injured during poor weather increases for all levels of injury severity,” Andrey says. “However, the greatest increases are for minimal and minor injury, because motorists tend to slow down during inclement weather.”The most important discovery, Andrey says, is discovering that different types of precipitation produce different injuries. To support this statement she cites results taken during rainfall, snowfall and freezing rain mixed with snow. However, weather-related driving risks are not the same in all cities. Large urban areas are more vulnerable to accidents due to challenging driving and high traffic volumes, according to Andrey’s findings.Specific research conducted on large urban areas includes from a case study done on Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway, which contains information on driver adjustments during inclement weather derived. “Our study of the Gardiner Expressway showed that motorists know they need to adjust their driving speeds and increase distance between vehicles to improve safety, but the magnitude of these adjustments is not enough during adverse weather,” she says. Paul Kovacs, Executive Director of ICLR, told the media that The Institute For Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) supports disaster safety research and aims to help build more resilient communities an initiative that executive director of ICLR Paul Kovacs says is important because losses are preventable.