The SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research has highlighted the effects high temperatures can have on road safety.
The organization has updated its factsheet ‘The impact of the weather’ to addresses the effect of hot weather after studies from China, Italy, and the United States showed that the chance of a crash increased with high temperatures, from just over three percent to as much as 20 percent.
According to SWOV a “significant cause” for the increased crash risk at high temperatures is that heat affects the behavior of road users, for example, due to poorer sleep, slower reaction times, decreased concentration, and quicker irritation.
