Official UNECE Data
The Deadliest Month for Driving
Road deaths have a season. Across 45 countries with official UNECE monthly data, August is the single deadliest month in 11 countries — the summer-travel effect: holiday traffic, long recreational trips, motorcycles back on the road, and fatigue on unfamiliar routes. Winter has fewer deaths in most countries despite worse weather, because people simply drive less and slower. The table shows each country's deadliest month and the share of that year's deaths it claimed.
| # | Country | Deadliest month | Share of annual deaths | Deaths (year) | Data year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Macedonia | June | 17.3% | 127 | 2023 |
| 2 | Switzerland | June | 16.5% | 236 | 2023 |
| 3 | Norway | June | 16.1% | 87 | 2024 |
| 4 | Hungary | October | 15% | 472 | 2023 |
| 5 | Albania | December | 14.9% | 175 | 2024 |
| 6 | Turkmenistan | October | 14.5% | 282 | 2020 |
| 7 | Ireland | August | 14.4% | 180 | 2023 |
| 8 | Moldova | September | 14.4% | 209 | 2024 |
| 9 | Croatia | October | 13.9% | 274 | 2023 |
| 10 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | August | 13.7% | 263 | 2021 |
| 11 | Estonia | May | 13.6% | 59 | 2023 |
| 12 | Serbia | August | 13.6% | 514 | 2024 |
| 13 | Cyprus | August | 13.5% | 52 | 2019 |
| 14 | Finland | June | 13.5% | 185 | 2023 |
| 15 | Lithuania | August | 12.5% | 160 | 2023 |
| 16 | Ukraine | October | 12.4% | 2,791 | 2022 |
| 17 | Azerbaijan | November | 12.3% | 764 | 2024 |
| 18 | Belarus | November | 12.3% | 575 | 2020 |
| 19 | Denmark | June | 12.3% | 162 | 2023 |
| 20 | Latvia | November | 12.3% | 138 | 2023 |
| 21 | Sweden | July | 12.3% | 227 | 2022 |
| 22 | Slovenia | May | 12.2% | 82 | 2023 |
| 23 | Greece | July | 12.1% | 646 | 2023 |
| 24 | Belgium | July | 12% | 501 | 2023 |
| 25 | Georgia | August | 11.9% | 444 | 2024 |
| 26 | Kyrgyzstan | October | 11.9% | 690 | 2022 |
| 27 | Canada | October | 11.8% | 1,999 | 2023 |
| 28 | Austria | June | 11.7% | 402 | 2023 |
| 29 | Bulgaria | August | 11.6% | 525 | 2023 |
| 30 | Czech Republic | September | 11.6% | 502 | 2023 |
| 31 | Kazakhstan | August | 11.6% | 2,425 | 2022 |
| 32 | Netherlands | September | 11.5% | 608 | 2023 |
| 33 | Italy | July | 11.4% | 3,039 | 2023 |
| 34 | Germany | September | 10.9% | 2,839 | 2023 |
| 35 | Slovakia | July | 10.9% | 266 | 2023 |
| 36 | Turkey | August | 10.9% | 6,351 | 2024 |
| 37 | Armenia | June | 10.8% | 333 | 2024 |
| 38 | Poland | August | 10.8% | 1,893 | 2023 |
| 39 | Romania | October | 10.8% | 1,545 | 2023 |
| 40 | Portugal | April | 10.4% | 642 | 2023 |
| 41 | United Kingdom | December | 10.4% | 1,695 | 2023 |
| 42 | Israel | March | 10.3% | 439 | 2024 |
| 43 | Spain | August | 10.1% | 1,806 | 2023 |
| 44 | France | October | 9.8% | 3,154 | 2023 |
| 45 | United States | October | 9.6% | 42,939 | 2021 |
Source: UNECE Transport Statistics (persons killed, latest complete year per country). "Weekend share" = Friday+Saturday+Sunday deaths ÷ total.
Related
The Deadliest Day of the Week
The other half of the when-do-people-die question, from the same official dataset.
Questions
FAQ
Which month has the most road deaths?
In most countries with official monthly data, the peak is high summer: August ranks first in 11 of 45 countries. July and August dominate across Europe and North America — holiday travel, motorcycles and long night drives outweigh winter's bad weather.
Is winter or summer more dangerous for driving?
Summer, in most countries — measured by total deaths. Winter produces more crashes per trip in bad weather, but people drive less, slower and shorter distances. Summer combines maximum exposure (holiday traffic, motorcycles, long trips) with speed and fatigue.