--- description: A study of 14 popular spring break destinations finds that death tolls are 9.1% higher during spring break title: Traffic Deaths Spike During Spring Break, Study Says image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Percentage Increase in Traffic Deaths During Spring Break Will Shock You by [Sabrina Toppa](/author/sabrina-toppa/) ## Sabrina Toppa Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 19, 2015 9:25 AM CUT by [Sabrina Toppa](/author/sabrina-toppa/) ## Sabrina Toppa Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 19, 2015 9:25 AM CUT Spring break can be a time of hedonism for many college students, but it’s also a dangerous one, with the holiday leading to a sharp [jump](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150318153949.htm "undefined") in traffic fatalities. That’s according to a new study published in _Economic Inquiry_, cited by Science Daily. “We found that between the last week of February and the first week of April, a significantly greater number of traffic fatalities occurred in spring break hot spots compared to other locations in the same states and at other times of the year,” said researcher Michael T. French. French and his team looked at traffic fatalities in 14 popular spring break destinations from Florida to California. They discovered that death tolls were 9.1% higher during spring break in these destinations, with a higher fatality incidence among drivers under 25 and those traveling from out-of-state. During spring break, the authors also noted that there was no increase in traffic fatalities in non-spring break destinations, confirming that the spike is attributable to the holiday period itself. To reduce traffic fatalities, researchers recommend that destinations offer transportation incentives to persuade students to leave cars behind. Travel vouchers for rideshares, taxis and other programs might go a long way in saving a life this spring break, researchers say. \[[_Science Daily_](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150318153949.htm "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3750449/spring-break-traffic-accidents-cars-alcohol-death/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3750449/spring-break-traffic-accidents-cars-alcohol-death/"},"headline":"The Percentage Increase in Traffic Deaths During Spring Break Will Shock You","datePublished":"2015-03-19T09:25:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:16:59.072Z","description":"Most fatalities occur among drivers under 25 and those traveling from out-of-state","url":"https://time.com/3750449/spring-break-traffic-accidents-cars-alcohol-death/","keywords":["Transportation","cars","study","Research","Accidents","mortality"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sabrina Toppa","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/sabrina-toppa/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3750449/spring-break-traffic-accidents-cars-alcohol-death/","name":"The Percentage Increase in Traffic Deaths During Spring Break Will Shock You"}}]}] ```