Study reveals safest and deadliest times to drive over Memorial Day Weekend for each U.S. State

We all know that law enforcement officials are on the job and patrolling the roads this Memorial Day Weekend looking for aggressive, distracted and compromised drivers.  But a recent study also reveals the safest – and the deadliest time to drive on Memorial Day which falls this year on Monday, May 26.

Texas personal injury lawyers The Texas Law Dog analyzed all fatal crashes that happened specifically on Memorial Day between 2019 and 2023. They used the Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST) from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to find the time intervals when most fatal crashes occur in Memorial Day in each US state. 

 They also analyzed the latest drug-related collision data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for springtime over the same five years to identify where driving while high at this time of the year happens the most, relative to each state’s population.

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Worst Times to Drive on Memorial Day in Each US State, Based on Hours with the Most Fatal Crashes Over Five Years (2019-2023)

State	Time Intervals	Fatal Crashes per Hour
Alabama	2:00 – 2:59 PM, 8:00 – 8:59 PM	5
Alaska	2:00 – 2:59 AM, 1:00 – 1:59 PM, 5:00 – 5:59 PM	1
Arizona	10:00 – 10:59 PM	9
Arkansas	4:00 – 4:59 PM	5
California	8:00 – 8:59 PM	26
Colorado	12:00 – 12:59 PM, 9:00 – 9:59 PM	6
Connecticut	7:00 – 7:59 AM, 7:00 – 7:59 PM	3
Delaware	0:00 – 0:59 AM, 8:00 – 8:59 PM, 10:00 – 10:59 PM, 11:00 – 11:59 PM	2
Florida	8:00 – 8:59 PM	16
Georgia	9:00 – 9:59 PM	11
Hawaii	4:00 – 4:59 AM, 1:00 – 1:59 PM	2
Idaho	2:00 – 2:59 PM, 10:00 – 10:59 PM	2
Illinois	9:00 – 9:59 PM	9
Indiana	1:00 – 1:59 AM, 4:00 – 4:59 PM	6
Iowa	2:00 – 2:59 PM	5
Kansas	4:00 – 4:59 PM, 9:00 – 9:59 PM, 11:00 – 11:59 PM	3
Kentucky	3:00 – 3:59 AM	4
Louisiana	8:00 – 8:59 PM	10
Maine	1:00 – 1:59 PM	2
Maryland	7:00 – 7:59 PM, 9:00 – 9:59 PM	4
Massachusetts	11:00 – 11:59 PM	4
Michigan	1:00 – 1:59 AM, 11:00 – 11:59 PM	7
Minnesota	6:00 – 6:59 PM	4
Mississippi	11:00 – 11:59 PM	4
Missouri	8:00 – 8:59 PM	7
Montana	0:00 – 0:59 AM, 7:00 – 7:59 PM	2
Nebraska	3:00 – 3:59 PM, 9:00 – 9:59 PM	2
Nevada	7:00 – 7:59 PM	3
New Hampshire	0:00 – 0:59 AM, 6:00 – 6:59 PM, 11:00 – 11:59 PM	1
New Jersey	6:00 – 6:59 PM	4
New Mexico	9:00 – 9:59 PM, 10:00 – 10:59 PM	4
New York	4:00 – 4:59 AM	7
North Carolina	9:00 – 9:59 PM	9
North Dakota	6:00 – 6:59 PM	2
Ohio	7:00 – 7:59 PM	9
Oklahoma	9:00 – 9:59 PM	6
Oregon	5:00 – 5:59 PM	3
Pennsylvania	11:00 – 11:59 PM	5
Rhode Island	7:00 – 7:59 PM, 9:00 – 9:59 PM	2
South Carolina	6:00 – 6:59 PM, 10:00 – 10:59 PM	8
South Dakota	7:00 – 7:59 PM	3
Tennessee	8:00 – 8:59 PM	6
Texas	2:00 – 2:59 AM	21
Utah	9:00 – 9:59 PM, 10:00 – 10:59 PM	2
Vermont	8:00 – 8:59 PM	2
Virginia	7:00 – 7:59 PM	8
Washington	9:00 – 9:59 PM	6
West Virginia	7:00 – 7:59 PM	4
Wisconsin	10:00 – 10:59 PM	5
Wyoming	11:00 – 11:59 AM, 2:00 – 2:59 PM, 10:00 – 10:59 PM	1

Generally, across America, driving between 9 and 10 PM is most dangerous, when 185 have lost their lives between 2019 and 2023. Waiting another two hours to leave at 11 PM is less dangerous than leaving at 7 or 8 PM. To still enjoy a day out with the family, heading back home at 3 PM is when there are the fewest fatal crashes later in the day.

As for when you might set out in the first place, 8 AM is the safest time to travel. If you are an early bird and want to move your day trip so you can get back home early too, then 6 AM sharp is when you should leave the house. This is the time with the second fewest fatal crashes.

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Florida drivers warned to avoid 8pm trips on Memorial Day:

•  In Florida, 8 PM is the most dangerous time to drive on Memorial Day, while a 2 and 3 PM  return is advisable.
• 2,077 fatal crashes happened on Memorial Day between 2019 and 2023, in the US, 181 of which occurred in Florida.
• Since holidays can increase drug consumption, there is a bigger risk of dying in a crash where the driver was high compared to other seasons across half the US states.

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“We hope this helps families stay safe this Memorial Day and avoid driving when it has previously proven most dangerous,” said a spokesperson for The Texas Law Dog.

“There is also an overlap with end-of-year college celebrations, which exacerbate the statistics, making this time of the year especially dangerous to be driving in half the states.”

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Top Ten States with the Most Drug-Related Fatal Crashes per Capita in the Spring (2019-2023)

#	State	Fatal Crashes per Year, on Average	Drug-Related Fatal Crashes per Year, on Average	Drug-Related Fatal Crashes Occurring in the Spring	Spring Fatal Crashes per 100,000 residents
1	Montana	192	68	15	1.40
2	Louisiana	787	221	63	1.37
3	Tennessee	1,164	338	94	1.35
4	South Carolina	1,000	246	68	1.31
5	Arkansas	564	122	31	1.01
6	Delaware	126	38	10	0.96
7	Wyoming	115	21	5	0.93
8	Vermont	61	23	6	0.90
9	Indiana	837	192	49	0.72
10	Hawaii	95	37	9	0.61

In the spring, across half the US states, there is a bigger risk of dying in a crash compared to other seasons because a driver took drugs. When measured relative to populations, Montana, Louisiana and Tennessee record the highest fatality rates, while New York has the lowest.

Montana is the most dangerous state when it comes to deadly drug-related crashes in the spring. 33.19% of fatal incidents on Montana roads are associated with drugs – or 1.4 per 100,000 residents. The state has 46 deadly crashes in the spring, of which 15 were associated with drugs. Of the 192 fatal crashes that occur annually in Montana, 68 could have been avoided had the drivers not taken drugs.

Louisiana has 1.37 drug-related deadly crashes in the spring for every 100,000 inhabitants – the second highest rates in the US. There are 787 fatal accidents here every year. Drugs were responsible for 221 of them, and 63 happened in the spring.

Tennessee ranked third for drug-induced fatal crashes in the spring between 2019 and 2023. Overall, every fourth fatal accident out of the nearly 1,000 that happen yearly here has been caused by drugs. Come springtime, 94 out of 436 deadly crashes happened because the drivers took drugs. That works out to 1.35 drug-linked fatal accidents per 100,000 Tennessee residents.

Completing the top ten ranking for states with the most drug-induced deadly accidents in the spring are South Carolina, Arkansas, Delaware, Wyoming, Vermont, Indiana and Hawaii.

On the other hand, the authorities recorded the least drug-related deadly crashes per capita on New York roads in the spring between 2019 and 2023. This is when six out of 309 fatal accidents involved drugs – or just 0.03 per 100,000 New Yorkers.

In absolute terms, irrespective of populations, the fewest serious crashes linked specifically to drugs in the spring are recorded in Rhode Island (2 drug-linked out of 19 fatal crashes), North Dakota (2 out of 32), Alaska (3 out of 17), New Hampshire (3 out of 33), and Nebraska (3 out of 73).

“Family-oriented holidays like Memorial Day can weigh heavily on someone’s mental health faced with strained relationships, which may lead to higher drug consumption than usual,” said a spokesperson for The Texas Law Dog.

America saw 1,220 deadly crashes every spring between 2019 and 2023, on average, linked to drivers under the influence of drugs. In 25 states, this is higher than the seasonal average throughout the year.

Among larger states with populations above four million, drug consumption and driving appear especially rife in the spring in Illinois, Florida and Louisiana. On the contrary, this happens the least often in Massachusetts (16.67%), Georgia (17.88%), and Mississippi (19.58%).

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day Weekend – especially if you’re driving!

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(Sources: The Texas Law Dog via The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)

Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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