The most harmful time to drive revealed – and it is when hardly anybody is on the highway
Experts believe drivers take advantage of quieter roads after midnight to put their foot down, a study found
The most dangerous time to drive in Britain is 3am on a Sunday – when hardly anyone is on the road. That is when motorists face the greatest danger of being in an accident, according to a new study.
Experts believe drivers take advantage of quieter roads after midnight to put their foot down. A combination of speed, fatigue and the chance of meeting a drunk or drugged up motorist trying to dodge police make the early hours deadly.
More than a quarter of drivers admit speeding when roads are quiet. The start of the morning rush-hour between 5am and 7am on weekdays is now the safest time to drive – even though traffic is often log-jammed.
At weekends the safest time to hit the road is between 9am and 10am. The danger time was revealed in an analysis of Britain’s 100,927 road accidents last year by insurer Confused.com which has launched a ‘safety index’ telling motorists the safest time to take a trip. Its study reveals UK roads get more dangerous the fewer cars are on them.
Car insurance expert Rhydian Jones said: “Road safety relies on more than just how many cars are on the road. It depends on how conditions evolve through the day and our analysis makes that pattern unmistakably clear.
“When we look at the risk-per-vehicle it’s the late-night and early-morning hours that are proportionately the most dangerous. That’s when visibility drops, fatigue sets in and roads are quiet enough that drivers may take more risks.
“With the festive season approaching, we know journeys become longer, traffic becomes heavier, and weather conditions get tougher. Our research shows many drivers already feel nervous, especially at night or in unfamiliar areas, and nearly a third admit to speeding when the roads look quiet.”
The insurer’s safety tool uses data from the Department for Transport’s Traffic Flow Index to calculate how risky it is to make journeys at different times of the day.
A Confused.com spokesman said: “The after-midnight hours are significantly more dangerous on Saturdays and Sundays than during the week. Drivers take advantage of quieter roads to drive potentially at higher speeds when they may be experiencing fatigue in the middle of the night.
“The risk of encountering drunk drivers also increases during weekend late-night hours. The safest periods to drive tend to fall in the early morning, particularly from 5am to 7am on weekdays.
“Midweek mornings stand out as the lowest-risk window for driving, with Wednesday recording the safest time of the week. They tend to be safer because commuter traffic might be more predictable and generally moves at slower, steadier speeds, which helps reduce collision risk.”
A poll of 2,000 UK drivers found 60% have been involved in or witnessed a road accident. As a result one in five felt more nervous behind the wheel while 39% said they drove more cautiously.
Half said they avoid driving in bad weather while 41% leave earlier to avoid rushing. A total of 37% avoid driving at night.
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