A new winter roadway safety study examining U.S. crash fatality data from 2019 through 2023 reveals that winter driving deaths are fueled less by “surprise storms” than by predictable, preventable behavior, especially impaired driving and speeding. During the winter months (December through March) in the five-year study period, 59,887 people died in motor vehicle crashes, and a substantial share of those deaths involved major risky driving factors that spike during the holiday season.
The study frames winter as a high-stakes period not only because of road conditions, but because winter amplifies the consequences of bad choices. Snow, slush, and ice reduce traction, extend braking distance, and limit vehicle control, meaning that behaviors like speeding and driving under the influence become even more deadly than they are in fair weather. National safety data cited in the study indicates that nearly 40% of all weather-related crashes occur on snowy, slushy, or icy pavement, with another 15% occurring during active snowfall or sleet. Meanwhile, NHTSA data referenced in the report shows that poor weather contributes to over 1.2 million crashes each year, about one in five motor vehicle accidents.
Within that environment, the study identifies clear behavioral drivers behind winter fatalities. Across the winter months analyzed from 2019–2023, 18,102 fatalities involved alcohol-impaired drivers (BAC .08 or higher). That means roughly 30% of all winter traffic deaths in the study period were tied to drunk driving. The findings underscore that the most dangerous winter conditions sometimes aren’t meteorological—they’re human.
Speeding was the second major contributor. The study reports 15,013 winter fatalities involved speeding, accounting for approximately 25% of winter crash deaths. Excessive speed is especially hazardous during winter months, when roads can be slick even if they appear merely wet or salted. The study’s data suggests that winter safety messaging should emphasize that “normal” speeds can become unsafe in winter conditions—and that speed magnifies severity when traction and visibility are compromised.
Distracted driving, while smaller in scale than alcohol impairment and speeding, remained a consistent factor. The study attributes 4,768 winter deaths to distracted driving—about 8% of total winter fatalities. While the share is lower than the other two major contributors, it is still a significant number of lives lost, and it represents a behavior that can be addressed through education, enforcement, and cultural shifts around phone use and in-car attention.
December stands out as the most dangerous month for winter fatalities overall, and the study shows it is also a focal point for these behavioral risks. December recorded the highest winter fatality totals, and it also accounted for roughly 27–28% of alcohol-impaired, speeding-related, and distracted-driving winter deaths during the period analyzed. That concentration matters because it suggests a clear time window for targeted safety interventions: holiday season travel, increased social events, late-night driving, and crowded roads create a predictable pattern of preventable tragedies.
The study also highlights that winter danger is not solely defined by snowstorms. In the atmospheric conditions analysis, cloudy conditions were associated with 9,302 winter fatalities, making overcast skies the most common condition in fatal winter crashes in the dataset. This finding points to reduced visibility, shorter daylight hours, and a potential “false sense of safety” when drivers don’t see snow falling. In other words, winter risk isn’t always announced by whiteout conditions—sometimes it’s simply a gray day, an early sunset, and drivers behaving as if the road is forgiving.
The public health implications are substantial. The study notes that winter deaths rose from 10,857 in 2019 to 13,068 in 2022, then dipped to 12,302 in 2023, still a high toll. While weather is a persistent underlying risk factor, the behavioral data indicate that a meaningful share of winter fatalities are preventable. The study’s core takeaway is straightforward: more than half of winter traffic deaths involve either alcohol impairment or speeding, making them the most urgent targets for winter road safety strategies.
The study encourages winter safety efforts that align with the patterns shown in the data, especially during December. Strategies include increased DUI enforcement around peak holiday periods, speed-focused enforcement on major corridors, targeted messaging for late-night drivers, and broader public education emphasizing that winter driving requires different decision-making even when roads appear “mostly fine.”
