There is a possibility that there could be an increase in the number of fatal car accidents on April 8th, which is the day of the total solar eclipse, according to a recent research written by scientists.
It has been reported that eye injuries caused by eclipses are more common than those caused by automobile accidents.
Eclipse Eye Injuries Outnumber Auto Accidents
However, experts cautioned in a research letter published Monday, March 25, in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, that during the most recent total solar eclipse to occur in North America, known as the “Great American Eclipse” of 2017, there was a brief but notable spike in fatal crashes in the United States.
There was no correlation between the increase in crashes and the eclipse-induced daylight darkness.
In actuality, “we see a significant decrease during the single hour that involves the eclipse,” said to co-author Dr. Donald Redelmeier, a staff physician at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto.
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Experts Warn of Fatal Crash Spike During Solar Eclipses
The line of totality, or the path the moon’s shadow follows across the surface of the Earth, was only 70 miles (113 kilometers) broad during the 2017 eclipse.
Viewers of the eclipse saw the longest view of totality—when the moon completely obscures the sun’s face—in the middle of that path. Estimates imply that 20 million Americans left their city to get to the path of totality.
Viewers within the path will be able to watch totality during the next eclipse on April 8 for between 2.5 to 4.5 minutes, depending on where they are. The eclipse will only be partially visible to viewers who are not within the path’s borders.
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