A new analysis from Omega Law Group, of crash data in the five most populous states (CA, TX, FL, NY, PA) shows the riskiest time to be on the road isn’t Saturday after last call, it’s ordinary weeknights. From 2019–2023, nearly two-thirds (67.2%) of all fatalities happened Monday through Friday, and 58% occurred after dark. The whitepaper traces how COVID-era behaviors—speeding, impairment, distraction—took root on emptier roads and never fully receded, even as traffic returned.

Nighttime: the danger multiplier

Between 2019 and 2023, 40,353 nighttime fatalities dwarfed daytime deaths (29,182). The peak: 2021, when nighttime fatalities hit 8,852. The culprits are familiar: reduced visibility, fatigue, impaired driving, higher speeds, and thinner nighttime enforcement.

Weekdays are riskier than we think

Contrary to perception, only one-third of fatalities occur on weekends. In 2021, the deadliest year, 10,101 fatalities occurred Monday–Friday. Even as total deaths decreased to 14,073 in 2023, the weekday share rose to 67.9%, reflecting commutes, school runs, freight, and service trips compressed into weekday peaks.

The pandemic imprint: fewer cars, more risk

VMT plunged from 3.26T (2019) to 2.90T (2020) (-11%). Fatal crashes, however, rose: 11,544 (2019) ? 12,310 (2020) ? 13,970 (2021) (the high-water mark). Though fatalities eased to 13,702 (2022) and 12,950 (2023), they remained 12.2% above 2019. Translation: the roads filled back up, but so did the bad habits.

Who’s behind the wheel when things go wrong

• Ages 25–34 led in alcohol-impaired, speeding, and distracted-driving deaths (2,700+ alcohol; 3,400+ speeding; 914 distracted across the five states).
• Ages 35–44 ranked second in alcohol- and speed-related fatalities.
• Men accounted for ~73% of all deaths (50,973 of 69,944).
• Texas led annually in distracted-driving deaths; California and Texas dominated speed-related fatalities in the worst years.

Behavior trends that stuck

• Alcohol-impaired deaths climbed 34% from 4,353 (2019) to 5,833 (2023), with 32% of all traffic deaths involving BAC ? .08.
• Speeding deaths surged 38% to 4,474 (2021) before easing—but staying elevated.
• Distracted-driving deaths rose from 946 (2019) to 1,106 (2022), then 1,018 (2023).

The whitepaper connects these patterns to pandemic-era mental-health strain and substance use increases (more adults reporting anxiety, depression, and elevated alcohol/drug use), plus reduced enforcement during early lockdowns.

The money trail

Crash costs bite hard: $340B direct economic loss in 2019; $465B direct losses by 2022; $513.8B in 2023 injury-related costs alone. Societal harm estimates rose from $1.37T (2019) to ~$1.85–$1.90T (2022–2023). These are not just numbers; they’re ER beds, lost workdays, and municipal budgets.

What agencies and employers can do—this quarter

• Aim at after-dark, weekday peaks: Nighttime DUI/speed details on commuter corridors; lighting and lane-by-lane speed harmonization.
• Target ages 25–44: Focused campaigns at workplaces, campuses, and rideshare/rental partners; tech-based do-not-disturb defaults.
• Digital distraction deterrence: In-vehicle prompts and insurer incentives for lockout modes during motion.
• Keep the good of remote work: Compressed or flexible schedules that avoid peak risk windows.

“If you treat Wednesday night like Saturday night, you save lives,” the authors note. “Risk lives where we live—on the commute, after dark, and in the routines we stopped questioning.”

About the Study
Findings reflect aggregated crash, fatality, mileage, registration, behavioral, age/gender, and timing data across CA, TX, FL, NY, and PA from 2019–2023.