A total solar eclipse is coming to the U.S. on April 8, and many people are planning where they’ll be to catch the best view.
The ideal place to witness this event is within a 100-mile-wide path that stretches from Maine in the northeast all the way down to Texas in the south. If you’re in this path, you’ll experience a brief moment when daylight fades, and even the sounds of nature pause as if tricked by a false dusk.
But there’s a downside too. Recent research has shown that this kind of event could lead to an increase in traffic accidents—not because drivers are trying to catch a glimpse of the eclipse or are confused by the dimming light, but because of the significantly higher volume of traffic. Millions of people traveling to view the eclipse end up clogging the roads.
Published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, this research found there was a notable rise in fatal car crashes during the last total solar eclipse in the U.S. back in 2017. The path of that eclipse went from coast to coast, and during that time, the risk of traffic accidents jumped by 31%. That translated to one additional crash every 25 minutes and one extra fatality every 95 minutes. According to the paper, these risks are similar to what is seen during Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, or the July 4 weekend.
The 2017 eclipse stirred a lot of excitement because the path of totality was within a 300-mile drive for a third of the U.S. population. Around 20 million people traveled to see it, leading to unusually crowded roads.
The researchers pointed out that the surge in crashes might have been due to several factors, like people driving on unfamiliar routes, speeding to get to their destination on time, driver distraction from the rare celestial event, impairment from celebrating, and people stopping to watch the eclipse from unsafe spots along the roadside.
This upcoming eclipse will be within driving distance for over 200 million people. If you’re planning to drive to see it, make sure to follow safety tips: respect speed limits, reduce distractions, keep a safe distance from other cars, wear your seatbelt, and don’t drive impaired. With these precautions, you can safely enjoy the eclipse!