What time of day has the least traffic?
The best time to leave to avoid traffic on a long drive is early in the morning before 6 am. When traveling by car you should aim to avoid rush hour congestion by aiming to start your road trip first thing in the morning.
Rush hour may be 5–9 AM (5:00–9:00) and 4–8 PM (sometimes from 4-9 PM) (16:00–20:00 (sometimes from 16:00-21:00)). In many cities over 1 million inhabitants, it sometimes even takes place at noon from 11 AM - 1 PM (11:00-13:00).
Time of day
One caveat: the most dangerous time of the day for fatal accidents is Saturday night between 9 pm and midnight, based on data from the NHTSA. This makes sense when you consider that this is when more DUI arrests are likely to happen as alcohol consumption plays a major part in these traffic fatalities.
Traffic is usually heavy on the freeways during morning and evening commutes when you're driving in Los Angeles. Weekday morning LA rush hour is roughly from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. The evening LA rush hours are around 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and later.
It's a good idea to arrive at work around 8:30 a.m. and leave at 4:30 p.m. to avoid not only the traffic but potential danger. Rush hour on weekdays, between 5 and 7 p.m. are usually more dangerous due to the increase in drivers on the road.
Working from 11 am – 7 pm is the best shift to avoid the worst of the traffic when commuting. If you're taking a long trip, it's recommended where possible to leave around 6 am and to avoid travelling on Friday unless it's unavoidable.
Give yourself some extra time to get where you need to go. According to AAA, the worst days to drive between now and the start of the New Year are Friday, Tuesday and Wednesday after Christmas, and Jan. 2.
It's not just paranoia: Driving at night is actually more dangerous. Fatal accidents are three times more likely at night compared with the daytime, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
If you are trying to decide the best time to leave for a road trip, it is early in the morning between 5:00 am and 6:00 am. This is because there is less traffic on the roads and statistically the fewest amount of accidents during this time frame.
What Is the Most Accident-Prone Month? The most deadly month in 2021 was October, closely followed by August, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). More than 4,000 people lost their lives during each of those months — that's almost 135 people dying on the roads every day.
What are the deadliest 3 hour time periods to be driving?
Saturday and Friday are still the two deadliest days to drive, and rush hour from 3:00 – 6:00 pm is still the deadliest time to drive.
Driving at night is a lot riskier than driving in the daytime. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, you're three times more likely to have a fatal accident at night than during the day.

It is known as “rush hour,” so it makes sense that timing would be a huge factor in navigating heavy traffic. While most places have heaviest traffic the hour before and after the regular work day (nine to five), it differs from city to city.
Their explanation: In the evening hours, cars and commuters tend to be coming from more condensed areas and try to hit the roads in a very short span of time. In the mornings, by comparison, commuters all leave their homes at different times.
- Driving Without Seat Belt Fastened. Crash tests have proved it a thousand times – wearing your seat belt can save your life. ...
- Texting While Driving. ...
- Speed Limits. ...
- Indicating a Turn. ...
- Decreasing Speed in School Zones.
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Release tension in your body.
- Shrug your shoulders up and down to relax them. ...
- Relax your jaw and forehead.
Looking at the number of fatalities by the time of day, we found that the safest times during the weekday was always the early morning hours of 12 a.m. - 6 a.m., with the safest time for both men and women being Tuesday morning.
- Plan ahead — Check public transport timings and routes beforehand. ...
- Avoid peak hours — Let's say you have to reach work by 10 am and it takes you an hour to commute. ...
- Make the most of your commute — Saving time in any way is earning time.
According to the statistics, the best day of the week to travel by car (or RV) is Wednesday. Tuesday is your second best choice. When asking RVers when they like to travel, most cited Tuesday as the best day to drive. Monday was their second favorite day (probably because it's the first day after a weekend stay).
- 1) More drivers mean more accidents. As roads become more congested, drivers are forced to sit in idle traffic, hit their brakes, and quickly accelerate more often. ...
- 2) People drive more recklessly in the summer. ...
- How Can I Drive Safely in Congested Traffic?
What time is traffic low in Chicago?
Traffic by Time of Day
In the evenings, traffic begins to slow starting at 3pm, and subsides in most places around 7pm.
The peak traffic times in Detroit are from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the mornings and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the evenings. Some of the heaviest traffic in Detroit can occur on North Interstate-75, East Interstate-94, and East I-696.