Election-Campaign Law

Traffic study claims that driving to vote could be hazardous

By Michael Alvarez

Here’s a link to a story about this study, to be published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, that claims that traffic deaths are higher than expected otherwise on Election Day.

Here’s a quick summary of the study:

The researchers looked at traffic-related deaths during polling hours on presidential Election Days and the two Tuesdays before and afterward over 30 years.

There were 3,417 total deaths, including 1,265 on election days. The Election Day average was 158, versus 134 on the other Tuesdays. The crashes involved drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

Correlation or causation? Hard to say, I’m not able to yet download and read this study. But I’ll try to dig it up later today, and to also monitor what other researchers say about this study once they have had a chance to look it over.

Full post as published by Election Updates on October 01, 2008 (boomark / email).