Winter Driving Statistics

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Along with blustery weather, snow and ice, winter can bring unpredictable driving conditions for motorists who don't consider winter driving statistics. Emergency Led

After spending the last decade learning as much as possible about the automotive industry, Rebecca Henderson currently investigates the automotive world through a financial lens. Her work has been featured on The Drive, American Car Center, Autoversed, and FINN.

Rashawn Mitchner is a MarketWatch Guides team editor with over 10 years of experience covering personal finance and insurance topics.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, just over 21% of the nearly 5.9 million car crashes that occur in the U.S. each year are weather-related. Of those, over half a million accidents per year are caused by snow, sleet, icy pavement or slushy pavement.

Another sobering statistic is that on average, 1,705 Americans die each year due to crashes that happen in wintry weather. Driving during the winter clearly takes a toll on drivers, so we at the MarketWatch Guides team studied winter driving statistics and created a list of tips for staying safe on the road during the colder months.

Driving in winter weather conditions isn’t for the faint of heart, nor is it for the daring. Data collected by the Federal Highway Administration from 2007 to 2016 reveals some concerning winter driving statistics:

On the other hand, drivers do typically drop their speeds by considerable amounts during winter weather conditions. Heavy snowfall has been found to reduce average speeds on the highway by between 5% and 40%, with free-flow speeds decreasing by as much as 64%.

The capacity of highways is reduced by between 12% and 27% during periods of heavy snow. That’s despite the fact that about 20% of state Department of Transportation budgets are allotted to winter weather road conditions each year. On average, $2.3 billion is spent annually on snow and ice roadway operations across the U.S.

Over 70% of American roads are located in snowy regions, or areas that receive more than 5 inches of snow per year. A similar percentage of U.S. citizens live in snowy areas as well.

Winter weather can negatively affect road conditions in multiple ways. Below are just a few:

The freezing temperatures seen throughout winter are also related to the formation of potholes, which can lead to car damage and even accidents as drivers attempt to swerve around them.

Not all vehicles are made alike, so certain ones are better at handling winter weather conditions than others. Similarly, specific features will help drivers to stay safe while on snowy or icy roads. Below are a few features that are beneficial for safe winter driving:

While the following features may not increase your safety when driving in cold and snowy conditions, they’re likely to provide you with a more comfortable experience:

Certain vehicles come with advanced safety features that simplify the process of winter driving. Our team took a look at multiple types of cars to determine which ones are best at handling snowy and icy conditions.

The Toyota Camry is a popular sedan that’s available with all-wheel drive (AWD) and Safety Sense ™ features, which include automatic high beams, forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking. The Camry also features standard LED headlights and taillights along with dual-zone automatic climate controls. The optional Cold Weather Package comes with heated mirrors and seats and a heated steering wheel, in addition to blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

This performance-oriented sedan might have a powerful V-6 or V-8 under the hood, but it’s also available with AWD and plenty of advanced safety features. The Plus Group package includes heated front and rear seats, mirrors and a heated steering wheel, as well as blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. You can also add the Technology Group package with forward collision warning, full emergency braking and automatic high beams.

Hatchbacks may not be your first thought for navigating slippery streets, but the Mazda 3 hatchback comes with standard AWD on turbo models. Standard Mazda i-Activsense driving aids include automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring and automatic high beams. Carbon Edition models come with a higher price tag, but also offer heated front seats, LED headlights and taillights and rain-sensing wipers.

The Honda CR-V offers AWD on all trim levels, but the EX trim features front emergency braking, forward collision warning and the rest of the Honda SensingⓇ suite . Specifically, you’ll get lane-keeping assist, road departure mitigation, automatic high beams and adaptive cruise control standard on the EX. Additional features include increased ground clearance, heated front seats and mirrors, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring and LED lighting.

This full-size SUV comes with available AWD and safety features such as automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring. Remote start and heated mirrors are standard, though you must upgrade for heated seats, LED headlights and automatic high beams. The Kia Telluride has an impressive 8 inches of ground clearance and a powerful V-6 engine capable of plowing through tall snowdrifts.

The Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 comes standard with AWD, heated mirrors, automatic emergency braking, front collision warning, cross-road assist and blind-spot monitoring. A heated steering wheel and front seats are optional on the GLA 250. This Mercedes-Benz model also features rain-sensing wipers and heated windshield washer nozzles to keep your view of the road clear.

Besides the Chrysler Pacifica, the Sienna is the only minivan with available AWD. You must upgrade a few trim levels to get LED headlights and taillights along with automatic high beams. However, you’ll also unlock a heated steering wheel, heated seats, remote start, heated mirrors and the Toyota Safety Sense suite.

The only pickup truck in Hyundai’s lineup, the Santa Cruz features standard AWD on upper trims. However, the base SE model includes LED headlights and taillights. Standard safety features include rear cross-traffic avoidance assist, forward collision warning, lane-keeping assist and automatic emergency braking. Upgrade to the SEL trim for heated seats and mirrors, remote start and dual-zone automatic climate controls.

Harsh winters don’t immediately translate into higher auto insurance premiums. After all, some of the cheapest spots for car insurance are chilly states like Maine , Vermont , Idaho and Ohio .

Still, snowy and icy conditions can lead to a higher risk of car accidents. It’s far easier to lose control when driving down slick roads with poor visibility due to snow, even for motorists who are accustomed to driving in harsh winter weather.

Due to that, it’s smart for cars that are regularly driven in winter weather to be covered by collision and comprehensive insurance. Collision coverage pays for damages to your own vehicle after you cause a car accident, while comprehensive coverage takes care of damages caused by severe weather, fallen tree limbs and instances of theft or vandalism.

Since winter storms increase the likelihood of car accidents and cause the number of fallen tree limbs and power lines to spike, it’s best for drivers to increase their insurance coverage. By doing so, though, they’ll probably end up boosting their overall auto insurance premiums.

According to Fox Weather, as of November 2022, the following are the snowiest cities in the U.S. with populations of more than 50,000:

You can also expect to see hefty snowfall averages each year if you live the cities below:

In 2021 alone, 22,325 injury crashes and 395 fatal crashes occurred because of falling snow or sleet. Add in car crashes caused by icy pavement, and the number of accidents is staggering. The following winter driving tips can help drivers prepare for the icy road ahead:

Being vigilant when driving in snowy and icy conditions can help you avoid issues that could occur when driving in the winter. Keep extra distance between you and other vehicles, pack a cold-weather emergency kit and consider cars with advanced safety features to stay safe in the ice and snow.

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