Easter Sunday brings warmer weather, blooming flowers, and families on the move. But with drivers traveling to holiday brunches and egg hunts, Easter also brings elevated road risk.

A new CMT analysis looks at phone screen interaction and speeding hour-by-hour on Easter Sundays from 2022 to 2024. When comparing Easter Sundays to the Sundays before and after the holiday, we find that distracted driving rises 3.6% on Easter. CMT defines distracted driving as a driver tapping on their phone’s screen while traveling over 9 mph.

But distracted driving isn’t equal throughout the day. Easter morning, specifically, sees an uptick in distracted driving. Distraction starts climbing at 8:00 a.m. and peaks at 9:00 a.m. — a 9.5% increase compared to other Sundays. Distraction levels remain over 7% higher than your typical Sunday through 12:00 p.m. 

Noon is one of the riskiest times to be on the road on Easter, with 75% more traffic than the rest of the day. Drivers are also highly distracted at this time, using their phones an average of 2 minutes and 30 seconds per hour.

After midday, distraction drops until 3:00 p.m. when it starts to rise again. From 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., drivers are less distracted than on a typical Sunday, but this is also when Easter sees its peak in distraction. This could be due to families traveling home from holiday gatherings. 

Speeding is also up on Easter compared to other Sundays — increasing by 12% on average throughout the day. CMT defines speeding as traveling 9.3 mph over the speed limit for at least 300 feet.

Like distraction, speeding levels fluctuate throughout Easter Sunday. From 8:00 a.m. through 12:00 p.m., speeding is 10.6% higher than on a typical Sunday. In the afternoon, speeding surges and rises steadily from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. — reaching 19% higher at 2:00 p.m.

What causes these changes in behavior? It’s hard to say exactly, but increased holiday activities, like coordinating with family, can lead to behaviors that cause higher distraction. This is likely why times associated with cultural events like egg hunts, brunches, and other gatherings on Easter see higher levels of distraction and speeding.

Keep Easter Sweet—Drive Smooth and Steady.

As you hop into celebrations this Easter Sunday, keep in mind the roads will be riskier. Do your planning before getting behind the wheel, so the only surprises are the treats in your Easter basket.