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Drivers warned on Friday 13th

This Friday the 13th could be particularly unlucky on the roads, according to new accident analysis from the AA and Work Wise UK as part of Commute Smart Week.

With Friday being the worst day for road accidents, and November a consistently bad month for road casualties, a combination of the two is likely to make this Friday the 13th a bad day.

Fatal Fridays, however, could be developing a new twist, courtesy of changing working practices, says the AA.

Overall, 10% more road casualties happen on Fridays than other days of the week, although the morning rush-hour and the 5-6pm slot are safer than for the average weekday. By late evening the casualty rate has risen to twice that of other weekdays.

“Since the turn of the millennium, Fridays have become safer, and more like the other week days. This could show a change in working practices, with more people working from home and choosing to do so on Friday,” says Edmund King, AA President.

“Hopefully, the future will see the positive aspects of these new work patterns moving to the rest of the week. However, at the moment, Fridays are still dangerous, and this Friday the 13th has all the ingredients to be particularly so. Take care with what we have dubbed “the Fatal Friday Phenomenon.”

Simon Roberson, chair of Work Wise North East, said: “The clocks going back signal an increase in road accidents. Deteriorating weather conditions combined with dark mornings and evenings can be bad news for road users and pedestrians.

“As part of our Commute Smart Week, Fatal Friday Phenomenon Day aims to reduce the need to travel this winter, ultimately cutting down on death and injury on our roads at this particularly dangerous time of the year.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .