Traffic Deaths Up on Election Days

Americans are more likely to die in traffic accidents on Election Day, researchers say. The study looked at presidential Election Days dating back to 1976. It compared accidents during polling hours with the same hours on the previous and next Tuesday. Election Days had an average of 158 traffic deaths. The other days had 134. The Associated Press (AP) wrote about the study October 1. AP asked experts about causes of the higher accident rate. They and study authors offered a few possibilities. For example, there may be more traffic on Election Day. People may rush to get to the polls. Or they may be distracted by politics. The study was in the Journal of the American Medical Association.