PROJECT 2 (BDATA200) - What Causes Car Accidents?

As someone who has been in an accident and has witnessed it every day on the road, I wondered about the reasons behind accidents in the US. Some may blame it on the weather or on the driver's responsibility. But in the past couple of weeks of research, our team recently concluded an extensive investigation into the primary trigger of traffic accidents across the United States, utilizing a dataset comprising 7.7 million records. We sought to determine whether environmental hazards, infrastructure, or human behavior serve as the dominant reason behind road incidents. Our analysis revealed that while severe weather (particularly fog and heavy precipitation) significantly increases the severity of individual crashes, the sheer volume of accidents is most strongly dictated by predictable human commuting patterns. We observed a significant peak in accident frequency during the 5:00 PM rush hour (TIME STAMP: 8:18), suggesting that traffic density is a more consistent risk factor than adverse road conditions. Based on these findings, we recommend that public safety efforts prioritize dynamic traffic management during peak afternoon hours and targeted infrastructure improvements in fog-prone regions. By shifting focus toward these high-impact variables, we can move closer to data-driven solutions for safer travel nationwide.