--- description: Learn the role that weather plays in road safety. title: Weather's Impact on the Roads canonical: https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/blog/2020/01/how-bad-weather-increases-the-chances-of-a-car-accident/ date_published: 2020-01-07T20:02:00+00:00 date_modified: 2024-09-04T16:25:22+00:00 practice_area: car-accident --- - Weather's Impact on the Roads [Back to CSCS Blog](https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/blog/) # How Bad Weather Increases the Chances of a Car Accident [Home](https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/) » [Recent Posts](https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/blog/) » How Bad Weather Increases the Chances of a Car Accident [January 7, 2020](https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/blog/2020/01/07/) - [Car Accidents](https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/blog/category/practice-areas/car-accidents/) Weather conditions play a significant role in the number of car accidents that happen in the United States. Snow, sleet, hail, and rain all reduce visibility and traction on the roads, causing dangerous hazards for motorists. Learn more about how bad weather can increase the chances of a [car accident](https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/car-accidents/) and how to protect yourself on the road this winter. ## Weather’s Impact on the Roads According to the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), [weather events](https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/weather/q1_roadimpact.htm)—including precipitation, high winds, and temperature extremes—affect drivers’ capabilities to operate their vehicles safely. These events also affect vehicles’ performance, including traction, stability, and maneuverability. The following weather events affect roadways and traffic differently: - **Wind speed: **Wind speed may affect visibility distance due to blowing snow or dust. It may also cause lane obstruction when large debris are blown into the roadway. - **Rain: **Rain may affect visibility distance and pavement friction. If your tires cannot properly displace the water with which they come into contact, your vehicle may lose traction and hydroplane. - **Fog: **Fog often has a heavy impact on visibility distance, and can make it difficult for motorists to see vehicles in front of or around them. - **Snow and ice:** Snow and ice have perhaps the most dangerous impact on the roads. Snowy or icy roads can make it difficult for cars to travel at all, since icy roads have very little friction onto which tires can latch. Additionally, heavy snowstorms or blizzards make road visibility extremely poor. ***Stay safe this winter with these [helpful tips for winter driving](https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/).*** ## Injured in a Car Accident? We’re Here to Help While you should always drive carefully in poor weather conditions, sometimes it is not enough to prevent an accident—particularly if another motorist was reckless. If you have been harmed in an accident caused by another’s negligence, our [Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. personal injury attorneys](https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/practice-areas/) are here to help. **Contact **[Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C.](https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/)** at (202) 659-8600 to schedule a free consultation with our team.** [Contact Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C.](https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/contact-us/) by phone at (202) 659-8600 to get started with your personal injury claim. Find Something Interesting? Share This post Facebook X LinkedIn Email Print ## Get free advice about the compensation you deserve. At Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C., our car accident attorneys fight tirelessly to secure the compensation you deserve, handling every aspect of your case to protect your rights. Trust us to stand by you and advocate aggressively on your behalf. [Free Consultation](#) #### In This Post ## Contact Us Today! "*" indicates required fields Name* First Last Name* Last Email** Phone*Are you a new client?*Are you a new client? *Yes, I'm a potential new client.No, I'm a current existing client.I'm neitherCase TypeCase TypeMotor Vehicle AccidentSlip & FallAssaultMedical MalpracticeAbuseWork InjuryOtherWere You at Fault?Were You At Fault?NoYesUnknownWhere Did The Incident Occur?Where Did The Incident Occur?Washington, D.C.VirginiaMarylandOtherDid The Accident Occur In the Last Two Years?Did The Accident Occur In the Last Two Years?YesNoShare Brief Description of the Incident* Send ## Recent Posts [Allan Siegel](https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/blog/author/asiegel/)08/22/2026 Partners Joseph Cammarata and Allan M. Siegel have again been... [Read More](https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/blog/2026/08/2026-super-lawyers-top-100-cammarata-siegel/) [Allan Siegel](https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/blog/author/asiegel/)08/21/2026 By Allan M. Siegel, Partner — Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata &... [Read More](https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/blog/2026/08/insurance-claim-denied/) [Allan Siegel](https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/blog/author/asiegel/)07/30/2026 Partner Allan M. Siegel represented two clients who were passengers... [Read More](https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/blog/2026/07/cscs-wins-780000-settlement-for-two-passengers/) [Allan Siegel](https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/blog/author/asiegel/)07/29/2026 Partner Allan M. Siegel served on the faculty of the... [Read More](https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/blog/2026/07/partner-allan-m-siegel-invited-to-serve-on-the-faculty-at-the-aajs-first-traumatic-brain-injury-college/) Load More ```json-ld {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"LegalService","@id":"https://chaikinandsherman.com/#firm","name":"Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel Personal Injury Lawyers","url":"https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/","telephone":"+1-202-659-8600","email":"publicrelations@dc-law.net","logo":"https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/new-logoBaskerville@2x.png","image":"https://www.chaikinandsherman.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/cscs-firm-photo.jpg","description":"Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel is a Washington D.C. personal injury law firm with decades of experience representing accident victims throughout DC, Maryland, and Virginia.","foundingDate":"1969","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"1232 17th St NW","addressLocality":"Washington","addressRegion":"DC","postalCode":"20036","addressCountry":"US"},"founder":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Joseph Chaikin","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"1232 17th St NW","addressLocality":"Washington","addressRegion":"DC","postalCode":"20036","addressCountry":"US"}},{"@type":"Person","name":"Ira Sherman","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"1232 17th St NW","addressLocality":"Washington","addressRegion":"DC","postalCode":"20036","addressCountry":"US"}}],"employee":[{"@type":"Attorney","name":"Allan M. Siegel","jobTitle":"Founding Partner","email":"asiegel@dc-law.net","telephone":"+1-202-659-8600","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"1232 17th St NW","addressLocality":"Washington","addressRegion":"DC","postalCode":"20036","addressCountry":"US"}},{"@type":"Attorney","name":"Joseph Cammarata","jobTitle":"Founding Partner","email":"jcammarata@dc-law.net","telephone":"+1-202-659-8600","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"1232 17th St NW","addressLocality":"Washington","addressRegion":"DC","postalCode":"20036","addressCountry":"US"}}],"areaServed":[{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"Washington, D.C."},{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"Maryland"},{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"Virginia"}],"contactPoint":{"@type":"ContactPoint","telephone":"+1-202-659-8600","contactType":"customer service","areaServed":"US","availableLanguage":"en"},"knowsAbout":["Personal Injury Law","Motorcycle Accidents","Car Accidents","Medical Malpractice","Truck Accidents","Brain Injury Cases"],"sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/company/chaikin-sherman-cammarata-&-siegel/","https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjeO2vc67zgjYKFqnnmP51g","https://www.facebook.com/CSCSLaw/","https://x.com/CSCSLaw"]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://chaikinandsherman.com/blog/2020/01/how-bad-weather-increases-the-chances-of-a-car-accident","url":"https://chaikinandsherman.com/blog/2020/01/how-bad-weather-increases-the-chances-of-a-car-accident","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://chaikinandsherman.com/#website"},"about":{"@id":"https://chaikinandsherman.com/#firm"}},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://chaikinandsherman.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Blog","item":"https://chaikinandsherman.com/blog"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"2020","item":"https://chaikinandsherman.com/blog/2020"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"01","item":"https://chaikinandsherman.com/blog/2020/01"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"How Bad Weather Increases The Chances Of A Car Accident","item":"https://chaikinandsherman.com/blog/2020/01/how-bad-weather-increases-the-chances-of-a-car-accident"}],"speakable":{"@type":"SpeakableSpecification","cssSelector":[".entry-content",".post-content",".page-content","article","main"]}}]} ```