Car Crash Death Toll Rises During Spring Break
A warning before you grab your sunblock and shades and head off for spring break. A new study shows the roads are a lot less safe during the break. Traffic fatalities are up 9 percent in the most popular spring break destinations. Those areas include destinations in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.
The number translates into a total of 16 more traffic deaths per year in the areas studied. The overall death toll from car crashes in these popular destinations was 9 percent higher during spring break than at other times of the year. Traffic deaths during spring break in areas that are not considered spring break destinations showed no significant increase.
Michael French, a professor of health economics at the University of Miami, said in a university news release, “We found that between the last week of February and the first week of April, a significantly greater number of traffic fatalities occurred in spring break hot spots compared to other locations in the same states and at other times of the year,” he said. “The primary implication is that roadways are dangerous during the spring break period, not only for spring breakers, but also for the residents and other visitors of popular spring break destinations.”
Out-of-state drivers were involved in many more traffic deaths during spring break than in-state drivers, and drivers younger than 25 were much more likely to be involved in traffic deaths during spring break than older drivers.
The research team found no statistically significant differences between spring break traffic deaths involving drivers impaired by alcohol and those involving sober drivers. The study was published recently in the journal Economic Inquiry.
