It only took a few days into 2025 for Missouri to experience an historic winter storm that brought with it more than 2,000 calls for service, 1,043 stranded motorists, 356 crashes, 31 injuries, and one fatality. In early January, the metropolitan area experienced one of its most dangerous and damaging winter storms in decades. In the month of January alone, Kansas City snowfall has already surpassed the historical average by 82%.
Even when snow accumulation is minimal, inclement weather and dangerous road conditions can lead to serious car accidents, property damage, injuries, and even fatalities. Knowing what causes most weather-related accidents can help you avoid unfortunate crashes and be safer on the road whenever you have to drive in poor weather conditions.
If you or a loved one have been involved in a weather-related car accident in the Kansas City area and suffered injuries or property damage, an experienced Kansas City car accident attorney can help. Call the award-winning legal team at Foster Wallace, LLC. We will assess your damages, determine who was at fault, and negotiate with the insurance company for your maximum recovery.
Continue reading here to learn more about weather-related car accidents, what causes them, and how to increase your chances of avoiding them.
What Is a Weather-Related Vehicle Accident?
A weather-related vehicle accident is defined as any vehicle accident that occurs in the presence of adverse or inclement weather conditions. Adverse weather conditions that contribute to vehicle accidents can include:
- Snow
- Rain
- Sleet
- Fog
- Wind
- Ice
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While winter weather conditions like ice and snow can be particularly treacherous, any of these conditions can make driving difficult by affecting a driver’s control of their vehicle or their visibility while driving. Even when adverse weather has subsided, hazardous road conditions often remain, causing slick road surfaces that increase the risk of vehicle accidents.
How Prevalent Are Weather-Related Vehicle Crashes?
According to data provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, on average, there are nearly 5,900,000 vehicle crashes each year in the United States. Approximately 21% of these crashes (1,235,000) are related to adverse weather conditions. Accidents resulting from poor weather conditions account for 19% (approximately 418,000) of all vehicle crash injuries and 16% (nearly 5,400) of all crash fatalities.
Missouri and Kansas have ranked as two of the leading states for average annual fatalities involving road ice: (Missouri, 20) (Kansas, 14). Higher road ice fatalities may be the result of the Midwest region’s many rural highways, on which vehicles tend to travel faster and further on the average trip, thereby increasing the likelihood of ice encounters. Additionally, unlike regions with season-long winter weather, during which icing is anticipated, icing events in the Midwest occur more intermittently, when drivers are caught unprepared for unexpected ice conditions. Statistically, the fewer icing events a community experiences per winter, the greater the rate of fatalities result per each event.
The majority of weather-related crashes (46%) occur during rainfall. Naturally, seasonal winter conditions, like ice and snow, occur in a smaller percentage of accidents:
- Rainfall accounts for:
- 556,151 crashes per year
- 10% of all vehicle crashes
- 46% of all weather-related crashes
- 212,647 persons injured per year
- 10% of all crash injuries
- 51% of weather-related injuries
- 2,473 fatalities per year
- 8% of all crash fatalities
- 46% of weather-related fatalities
- Wet Pavements account for:
- 860,286 crashes per year
- 15% of all vehicle crashes
- 70% of all weather-related crashes
- 324,394 persons injured per year
- 15% of all crash injuries
- 78% of weather-related injuries
- 4,050 fatalities per year
- 12% of all crash fatalities
- 76% of weather-related fatalities
- Icy Pavements account for:
- 156,164 crashes per year
- 3% of all vehicle crashes
- 13% of all weather-related crashes
- 41,860 persons injured per year
- 2% of all crash injuries
- 11% of weather-related injuries
- 521 fatalities per year
- 2% of all crash fatalities
- 10% of weather-related fatalities
- Snow and Sleet account for:
- 219,942 crashes per year
- 4% of all vehicle crashes
- 18% of all weather-related crashes
- 54,839 persons injured per year
- 3% of all crash injuries
- 14% of weather-related injuries
- 688 fatalities per year
- 2% of all crash fatalities
- 13% of weather-related fatalities
- Fog accounts for:
- 25,451 crashes per year
- 1% of all vehicle crashes
- 3% of all weather-related crashes
- 8,902 persons injured per year
- 1% of all crash injuries
- 3% of weather-related injuries
- 464 fatalities per year
- 2% of all crash fatalities
- 9% of weather-related fatalities
What Are the Most Common Weather-Related Causes of Car Accidents?
As the statistics show, adverse weather conditions contribute significantly to the risk of vehicle accidents. Swerving because of a sudden gust of wind, sliding on a patch of ice, or hydroplaning through a stretch of flooded highway is often unavoidable. But many weather-related vehicle accidents occur when the driver contributes to the risk.
Here are some of the most common ways a driver can increase the risk of a weather-related vehicle accident:
Most fatalities resulting from floods involve people who knowingly drove their vehicles into flooded roadways. This occurs because most people do not understand the degree of danger that exists from even small amounts of water flowing over a road surface. Many drivers perceive icy roads the same way.
Icing created by supercooled precipitation like freezing rain—often referred to as “black ice”—can be virtually invisible on road surfaces. Because most drivers do not know how to drive on black ice, the average icy road fatality count (507, 10-year average) is 3.6 times the total number of deaths from all other weather hazards combined.
- Inexperience.
A 2016 report published by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reveals that younger drivers are more likely to be involved in adverse-weather crashes than older drivers. The highest proportion of weather-related crashes involves drivers aged 16-24 years old. Younger drivers simply have less driving experience, especially during adverse weather, and tend to have riskier driving behaviors in challenging weather conditions, which results in a higher rate of accidents.
- Vehicle Performance.
Even the most cautious and skilled drivers experience “unavoidable” accidents due to weather-related hazards, like ice and rain. While many accidents may be unavoidable, drivers must be aware that the condition and performance of their vehicle can contribute to their ability to avoid an accident.
Many weather hazards, like wind-blown debris, drifting snow, fog, and heavy rain, can impact a driver’s visibility and can affect a vehicle’s traction, stability, and maneuverability. Driving a vehicle not suited for adverse conditions can significantly increase the risk of an accident. Things like:
- Dull wiper-blades;
- Weak window defrosters;
- Dim headlamps;
- Bald or worn tires;
- Unbalanced wheel alignment; and
- Worn brake pads, can turn an avoidable accident into an “unavoidable” one.
Traffic Flow
Every driver has experienced the sudden and dramatic effect of adverse weather conditions on traffic flow. When weather hazards like rain and snow impact a driver’s visibility and diminish road conditions, drivers invariably reduce their speed. This may reduce the risk of serious injury slightly, but it results in an increase of volume and reduced maneuverability on the road, which leads to a higher rate of accidents. It also reduces the response time of the police, fire department, and medical service providers.
Drivers who don’t anticipate the effect of weather conditions on traffic patterns or fail to adapt their driving habits to the conditions often suffer the consequences of a sudden accident when it is too late to do anything to avoid it.
Who Is at Fault in a Weather-Related Car Accident?
As the saying goes, “You can’t control the weather.” But you can prepare for it. Drivers who are not prepared to drive in adverse weather conditions because of their age and inexperience, inability to perceive danger, unsuitable vehicles, and failure to take reasonable and necessary precautions, often increase the risk and likelihood of a weather-related accident. But although the weather is a key factor in so many vehicle accidents, it is not always just the weather. A driver may be negligence by unreasonably deciding to drive under dangerous and adverse weather and road conditions when they know that they are too inexperienced or unprepared for it to be safe for them to drive. Proving fault is the first step in obtaining financial recovery if you are injured in a weather-related crash. The Kansas City weather-related car accident attorneys at Foster Wallace, LLC, can help.
How Can I Avoid a Weather-Related Vehicle Accident?
We all know the only guarantee for avoiding a weather-related car accident is staying off the road in bad weather. But that is so often “easier said than done.” Sometimes you simply have to travel, and sometimes the weather turns while you are already on the road. If it does, here are some things you can do before you drive or while on the road to increase your winter weather safety and your chances of avoiding a weather-related road accident:
- Avoid non-essential travel. Staying off the road in a snow storm or other adverse condition not only keeps you safe, it helps others by reducing traffic and providing greater access to roadways for service providers and safety responders. If you must travel, allow extra time and expect delays.
- Check the weather forecast. Know when and where to expect adverse weather conditions that could affect your travel. Plan trips when adverse conditions are not in the forecast.
- Follow the local news for weather forecasts, traffic reports, and information on road conditions.
- Reduce your speed. Anticipate hazardous conditions on the road, like flood waters and black ice.
- Increase your following distance. When roads are slick, it is more difficult to maneuver and takes more time and distance to stop. Give yourself time and room to respond to the car in front of you. Drive reasonably for the conditions.
- Maximize your visibility. Completely clear your vehicle of snow and ice before you travel. Defrost your entire windshield and rear and side windows. Keep an ice-scraper in the vehicle. Always use your headlights so others can see you through the poor conditions.
- Be mindful of unseen dangers. Super-frozen precipitation on the highway can be clear and invisible. Most bridges really do freeze over faster than road surfaces. And according to the National Weather Service, just 6 inches of moving water is sufficient to reach the bottom of most vehicles, often causing the vehicles to stall. Only 12 inches of rushing water is enough to wash away most cars and SUVs.
- Stay calm. If you feel like you are losing control of your vehicle, don’t panic. Don’t punch the gas or slam on the breaks. If your vehicle starts to slide, turn the steering wheel in the direction you are sliding to best regain control of the vehicle.
What Should I Do After a Weather-Related Car Accident?
If you were unable to avoid an accident because of hazardous weather conditions, such as rain, sleet, snow, ice, high wind, fog, or any other environmental factor, here are some things you should do to remain safe and to increase your chances of obtaining a financial recovery from another party who contributed to the accident:
1. Find Safety.
Even after an accident occurs, your safety continues to be the priority. If you are able, and only if it is safe to do so, find a location away from the roadway, where other vehicles may continue to skid or slide, increasing the likelihood of further injury.
2. Call the Police.
Once you have found a safe location, call the police immediately for assistance. You may need help obtaining medical attention, moving your damaged vehicle, or finding possible witnesses to the accident. The police will secure the accident scene and take statements from everyone involved. The resulting police report will contain relevant evidence if you decide to file a claim against another driver.
3. Take Pictures
If you are able and the weather conditions allow, take pictures of the accident scene. Be sure to capture what the weather conditions are at the time of the accident. Photograph any injuries or damage to the vehicles, and any traffic signs or signals in the area where the accident occurred.
4. Obtain Relevant Information
If another driver was involved in your accident, it is critical that you obtain relevant information for an insurance claim or possible law suit. At a minimum, this includes the other party’s:
- Name;
- Address;
- Driver’s License information; and
- Insurance information.
If the other party is hostile, or is unwilling or unable to provide relevant identification and information, let the police handle it. They will obtain the necessary information and provide it to you. It also should be in the police report, so be sure to obtain the report from police when it is available.
5. Call the Weather-Related Car Accident Attorneys at Foster Wallace, LLC.
The Kansas City car accident attorneys at Foster Wallace, LLC, have been serving the States of Kansas and Missouri, and car accident victims in the Kansas City and surrounding areas, for a combined 50 years. We not only know the metropolitan area, but we understand the havoc that weather conditions in the area can impose on drivers. We know how to successfully navigate a weather-related car accident claim to obtain the highest compensation available for our clients.
If you have been in a weather-related vehicle accident and need to consult with a skilled and experienced weather-related vehicle accident attorney, call Foster Wallace, LLC, today. Our number is 816-439-8665. We offer a free initial consultation to assess your case.
