By: Geovanni D. Francisco
Researchers at University of Toronto in Canada have collected data and found that filing Income Tax Returns shoot up peoples “blood pressure”. Meaning, the pressure of “tax-day” may be linked to fatal vehicular accidents.
Rise of car mishaps may be linked to cultural events. Road tragedies are known to climb during Christmas and New Year’s Eve, and adding to that, during tax day.
The researchers compared crash rates on the tax day with those weeks before and after the filing and found that indeed a slight rise of 6% in vehicular accidents that occurred on major roads happened around tax day and even weeks before and after filing the deadline as the study suggests.
As speculated, stressful deadlines, along with sleep deprivation – led to road distractions which further leads to “road errors”. According to polls, tax day was the second “most stressful and worrisome day” in 2011 especially in rich countries like the United States.
The bottom line- pay your taxes ahead of deadline to avoid stress and distraction.
