Why tax time may be a dangerous time to drive

NEW YORK (WABC) -- That dreaded deadline is fast approaching. It's April 17th this year, technically giving you 2 extra days to file.

Those freebies may buy you some time, but don't count on it. If you're like most people you're waiting until the last minute.

But don't feel bad. Psychologists say you can blame biology.

"When we're faced with deadlines what human beings tend to do is procrastinate, doing taxes makes us anxious, when we get anxious we tend to avoid so we keep putting that off, putting that off," Scott Bea, Psy. D. of Cleveland Clinic said.

But putting it off means these final days come with extra stress. A new study says that stress may in fact be deadly by raising your risk of having a car accident.

Researchers analyzed data from the national transportation safety board over the last 2 decades. Across the country, more than 400 additional vehicular deaths occurred on tax day.

"There are ways to manage it other than driving in a hurried way or in any other way upsetting your brain or your body so, try to come back in the now, try to pay attention to your senses a little bit, what you're seeing and smelling, tasting, feeling, outside of your body, that puts us back in the moment," Bea said.

Live in the moment. That may sound like advice you also got from your last yoga class. It's all about stress management and maybe just maybe getting your taxes done earlier next year, which is of course easier said than done.

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