The moment you get into a vehicle, you put yourself in danger. Few people feel nervous or fearful behind the wheel of their car, especially when they are driving in their own neighborhood or town. They feel safer there than on a plane or a cruise ship or even driving in another city, but anytime you’re behind the wheel of a car in Tennessee is dangerous. With so many winding mountain roads, fog, inclement weather in summer and winter, there is no safe time to be on the road. Accidents happen all the time, whether the weather is beautiful or not, and they happen when there’s no one on the road just as often as they do during rush hour.
There are certain times of day, certain days of the week, and certain times of the year more dangerous than others. In Tennessee, winter can be a challenge when the weather turns cold and ice begins to form, snow begins to fall, and the hour of day you’re on the road makes a big difference in your safety.
Closing Time
Most bars close around 2 am in Tennessee, which means many people who’ve had one or two too many drinks are on the road that time of the morning. It’s when the drunkest of the drunk depart for home, and these are generally the people with the most drinks in their system after staying in a bar drinking until close.
Rush Hour Traffic
Rush hour in a big city is always a problem, and it’s no different in Tennessee. Traffic during rush hour in the winter in Tennessee might not be anything like rush hour in New York City, but it’s still busy, people are all in a hurry to get home, and more people are driving distracted than any other time of the day.
Late Night
This isn’t always true, but driving in the hours surrounding midnight on weekends are more dangerous than driving in the middle of the day during the week. People are out, they’re having drinks, and they’re enjoying the night, and they tend to head home before it’s too late. This is a dangerous time to be on the road, particularly on New Year’s Eve and nights such as Valentine’s when couples are on their way home from a romantic date night.
Winter
Winter is among the most dangerous times to drive in Tennessee thanks to the ever-changing weather and potential for the roads to be slick with ice. While certain hours of the day are more dangerous than others, there are certain days of the week in which those hours are even more dangerous to be on the road. Saturdays and Sundays are the most dangerous times to be out in the middle of the night, because fewer people are worried about going to work those days.
The best way to stay safe on the road is to avoid drinking and driving, to wear a seatbelt, and to always watch where you are going. There is no safe time to travel, but being aware of your surroundings, obeying traffic laws, and watching to see that other drivers are doing the same can be the catalyst that saves your own life on the road this holiday season and into the remainder of winter.
