This column is not about Vehicle and Traffic Law or even about traffic safety, except to keep you off the roads during the deadliest times. New research has revealed that, on average, the most dangerous time to drive in America is between 6 and 7 p.m. on any Saturday during the year, and in October in general. The study by Forbes Advisor analyzed National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data from 2016 to 2020 to reveal the number of fatalities from road crashes in each U.S. state for each hour, day and month.

When Forbes Advisor analyzed road deaths by day, the highest total occurred on Saturdays — 25,907 fatalities were recorded on the first day of the weekend, compared to 23,147 on Fridays for the second highest total, and 23,038 on Sundays in third place.

On a national level, the most dangerous month to drive is October. The study found that there were 13,566 road crash fatalities during the month. July is the second deadliest month with 13,483 deaths, and September’s total of 13,404 is the third highest.

In total, 40 states have Saturday as their most dangerous day to drive, while six states had Friday as the day with the highest number of crash fatalities: Washington, New Hampshire, Vermont, Delaware, Oklahoma and Mississippi. Thursday is the most dangerous day in West Virginia, while it was Sunday for New Jersey and Nebraska, and Monday for Rhode Island.

Looking at individual states, the most dangerous time in 13 states was 5 to 6 p.m., including in New York. In most states, the hour when the most road deaths occurred was generally between 3 and 10 p.m.

In New York state, the data shows the most dangerous period is on Saturdays in September between 5 and 6 p.m.

While some crashes (very few) are unavoidable, there are plenty of things that will increase the risk of crashing. Speeding, driving under the influence and using a cellphone while driving can result in a significantly increase in the chances of crashing and endangering your life and those around you on the road.

So, are we going to stay home on Saturdays in October from 6 to 7 p.m.? Of course not, but I thought the statistics were interesting.