April 8 total solar eclipse might have an unexpected effect – an increase in fatal car accidents

Travel warnings around the April 8 total solar eclipse have been issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, cautioning people to expect delays and massive crowds. Now, another travel concern has been raised – the possibility of an uptick in fatal traffic accidents in the time around the eclipse.

A new research letter published this week in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine showed there was a 31% rise in fatal traffic accidents during the 2017 total eclipse and in the days before and after it, Newsweek reported.

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In 2017, researchers found road traffic fatality rates increased from an average of 7.9 per hour to 10.3 per hour on average in the three days spanning the eclipse. The increase was attributed mainly to the massive crowds who flocked to the path of totality – the areas that will see the greatest periods of darkness – rather than issues around driving during the darkness of the eclipse itself. It’s a similar figure seen during other busy travel times such as the July 4th and Thanksgiving holidays.

Accidents during the eclipse itself fatal crashes actually decreased, the study shows. The riskiest times on the roads were the periods just after the totality, where there was a 50% higher risk than average, Newsweek reported.

In 2017, the path of totality was 70 miles wide. The path of totality for April 8 is 115 miles wide, stretching across 15 states with some 200 million people within driving range of the path.

In the U.S., the path of totality will start in Texas at 1:27 p.m. CT and will end in Maine at 3:35 p.m. ET (2:25 CT.) While all states in the contiguous U.S. will experience some level of the eclipse, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as small parts of Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee are along the path of totality.

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In those states, the periods of greatest darkness will reach up to 4 minutes, 27 seconds.

To reduce the risk, the study’s authors had common-sense advice for those driving around the times of the eclipse, including obeying the speed limit, minimizing distractions, wearing a seatbelt and not driving while impaired.