
A new study shows precipitation of every intensity substantially increases the risk of deadly motor vehicle crashes, according to a Washington Post article.
The study, published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, found a 34% increase in the risk of a fatal crash when precipitation is falling. The researchers looked at over 125,000 fatal crashes and their relation to weather from 2006 till 2011 in the U.S., according to the article.
They found the heavier the precipitation, the greater the risk of a deadly crash. Light precipitation increased the risk of a fatal crash by 27%, while the risk more than doubled during heavy precipitation, according to the article.
Climate change, the study said, could make the situation worse. Precipitation and precipitation intensity is already increasing in the U.S., and these trends are projected to carry forward, according to the article.
To read the full article, click here.