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Surge In Travelers Means More Accidents On The Roads

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A riskier commute. American drivers are seeing a spike in accidents.

Tracey Leong explains why we're seeing the uptick.

New data suggests the cause is a rise in traffic--a dangerous trend, especially in the warmer months.

That morning, evening and weekend commute can turn into a perilous journey.

"Frustrating. We already have to deal with rush hour and accidents and congestion," said Sharma Williams.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, traffic has increased across the country. The biggest jump is the South-Atlantic region, where Maryland is grouped.

"Well, typically in summer, we see more people take to the roads. Warmer weather. People are taking more vacations, more day trips," said Christine Delise, AAA Mid-Atlantic.

AAA says people are feeling more confident with the economy. And with the some of the lowest gas prices of the season, we're seeing a surge in travelers, translating to more accidents on the roads.

"More people out there, and they're driving faster and not paying attention. Somebody's going to hit something and they're going to collide," said George Belitz.

One of the biggest contributing factors to this dangerous new driving trend is a driver's behavior when distracted.

"People not focused while driving. They're distracted. They're texting, they're on their cell phones. They're also not always buckling up," said Delise.

Cautious drivers are saying it's the other drivers you need to watch out for.

"It's a full time job out there. You can't just be eating something, cell phones. You see a lot of that. It's just bad," said Belitz.

And many drivers are hoping to avoid it altogether.

"Drive as less as I can just to stay off the roads and out of everybody's way," said Williams.

AAA says there is a potential traffic could slow down in the fall when the months get a little colder.

Car accidents also turned deadlier. We saw a five percent increase in fatalities at the end of 2014.

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