Our Arkansas car accident lawyers have learned that a home team loss not only results in soured spirits, it also leads to an increase of collision claims. A new study from the Highway Loss Data Institute shows that the rate of collision claims from ZIP codes around NFL stadiums is higher when there is a home game. This likely proves that the increased claim frequency on home game days is a result of higher traffic volumes around the stadiums on those days.
This pattern is interesting but not very surprising due to the overflow of fans who flock the stadium on game day. However, that is not the only pattern HLDI discovered. They also discovered that the rate of collision claims on game days is higher when the home team loses or ties.
HLDI analysts looked at collision claims for ZIP codes where 31 NFL stadiums are located, as well as surrounding ZIP codes. All of the ZIP codes they researched had an increase of claims on home game days but the ZIP codes where the stadiums actually existed had a more prominent increase in claims.
According to HLDI’s research, the rate of collision claims on days when the home team won was 3.2 percent higher than on days without a home game. On days when the home team lost or tied, the rate of collision claims were 9.4 percent higher than on days without a home game.
“The game day effect was much more pronounced at some stadiums than at others,” says HLDI Vice President Matt Moore. “This may point to differences in policing and traffic management strategies, which could present opportunities for improvement.” (Source is Highway Loss Data Institute)
Many NFL stadiums can hold around 70,000 people. That means that there are close to that many vehicles at the event crowded into one area. This makes it easy for a collision to occur. Whether your team wins or loses, make sure you pay close attention when exiting the venue.
