NEW YORK, May 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2017 there were 8,725 traffic fatalities that resulted from crashes that occurred during commuting hours in the U.S.—with Friday commutes accounting for 17 percent more vehicle accident deaths than Monday commutes according to a new ValuePenguin.com report. The spike in road deaths on Fridays correlated with a 41 percent increase in DUI-related fatal accidents during commuting hours.

The study also identified huge variations in commuting related fatalities across the country, with some areas considerably more deadly than others. Of the 10 large counties (with 500,000 or more residents) that ranked as having the deadliest driving commutes, half were located in Florida.

Key Findings:

• Commuters from Small Counties Face the Most Danger: Small counties with populations between 10,000 and 100,000 had the highest rate of driving commuter deaths. The average commuting traffic fatality rate across these counties of 12.7 is 83 percent greater than the national average and 178 percent greater than the mean for large counties. This trend of more sparsely populated areas having higher instances of traffic fatalities during commuting hours is consistent with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) findings, which found that the fatality rates in rural areas was as much as 2.6 times higher in rural areas than in urban areas.
• Counties with the Largest Jump in Commuter Fatality Rates: Collin and Hidalgo Counties in Texas, Will County in Illinois, New Haven County in Connecticut and Cobb County in Georgia all saw a 133 to 300 percent increase in commuter fatality rates.
• Counties with the Largest Decline in Commuter Fatality Rates: Jefferson County in Colorado, Bronx County in New York, Anne Arundel County in Maryland, Denton County in Texas and Suffolk County in Massachusetts all saw a 53 to 67 percent decrease in commuter fatality rates.

ValuePenguin.com analyzed the total number of traffic fatalities that occurred during commuting hours (6 a.m. to 10 a.m., and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.) from all of the 2,437 counties, organized boroughs, census areas, independent cities (as well as the District of Columbia) in the U.S. with 10,000 or more residents. For the sake of making accurate comparisons, we separated these districts into three categories: large (above 500,000 residents), mid-sized (100,000 to 500,000 residents) and small (10,000 to 100,000 residents). Data sources cited include the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, and the U.S. Census 5-year American Community Survey.

To view the full report, visit:  
https://www.valuepenguin.com/deadliest-driving-commutes.

About ValuePenguin.com: ValuePenguin.com, now part of LendingTree (NASDAQ: TREE), is a personal finance website that conducts in-depth research & provides objective analysis to help guide consumers to the best financial decisions. ValuePenguin focuses on value, assessing whether the return of a particular decision is worth the cost or risk of that option, and how this stacks up with the other possible choices they may have. For more information, please visit www.valuepenguin.com, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @ValuePenguin.

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LendingTree (NASDAQ: TREE) is the nation's leading online marketplace that connects consumers with the choices they need to be confident in their financial decisions. LendingTree empowers consumers to shop for financial services the same way they would shop for airline tickets or hotel stays, comparing multiple offers from a nationwide network of over 500 partners in one simple search, and can choose the option that best fits their financial needs. Services include mortgage loans, mortgage refinances, auto loans, personal loans, business loans, student refinances, credit cards and more. Through the My LendingTree platform, consumers receive free credit scores, credit monitoring and recommendations to improve credit health. My LendingTree proactively compares consumers' credit accounts against offers on our network, and notifies consumers when there is an opportunity to save money. In short, LendingTree's purpose is to help simplify financial decisions for life's meaningful moments through choice, education and support. LendingTree, LLC is a subsidiary of LendingTree, Inc. For more information, go to www.lendingtree.com, dial 800-555-TREE, like our Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter @LendingTree.

Media Contacts:
Divya Sangam
646 693 8445
divya@valuepenguin.com

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SOURCE ValuePenguin