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Should you drive on Friday the 13th?
Friday has been considered an unlucky day at least since Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. But why is this particular combination of day and date thought to be bad luck?
Fear of Fridays came first, as the fifth day of the week has long been considered unlucky – most likely because of the connection with Good Friday, the day when Christians mark the crucifixion of Jesus.
The root of the superstitious association with the number 13 comes from numerology, where 12 is considered the number of completeness. Evidence of this remains with us in modern times, with days divided into two groups of 12 hours, there are 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac etc. In contrast to 12, 13 was considered irregular and therefore unlucky.
So the combination of Friday and the number 13 is considered doubly unlucky, leading some people to suffer from paraskavedekatriaphobia – a fear of Friday the 13th.
Despite its origins in early history, references to the date as unlucky only appeared in print after 1907, following the publication of Thomas W. Lawson’s popular novel Friday, the Thirteenth.
2009 is proving to be a bad year for sufferers of paraskavedekatriaphobia, with three Friday the 13ths popping up in February and March and another in November. But we can relax a bit for the next few years, with only one in 2010 (August) and one in 2011 (May).
Despite the superstition, a Finnish research project in 2004 examined road traffic accident statistics and found there was no increase in accidents on Friday the 13th. So, theoretically, you’re good to go…
Researchers did note in their findings, however, that this didn’t mean there is no increase in risk, as many people who are anxious about the date may choose not to drive.
One group of people who certainly do believe in the Friday the 13th effect are (unsurprisingly) the producers of the Friday the 13th series of films. Of the 12 films in the franchise, four were premiered on the date itself.
Superstitious or not, make sure you’re prepared for the unexpected, whether it’s car insurance, home insurance,travel insurance,pet insurance or breakdown cover, with Churchill you’ve got it covered.
