Thanksgiving week one of deadliest for auto accidents
You are not alone, if you are planning on traveling at some point during Thanksgiving week. According to AAA, nearly 40 million people plan to drive 50 or more miles from their home in order to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. Unfortunately, the Thanksgiving holiday is traditionally the most deadly time of the year, with a significant increase in car accidents, injuries and fatalities throughout the country.
The statistics alone are staggering. In 2010, 431 people were killed in car accidents on Thanksgiving Day alone. During Thanksgiving week from 2005 to 2010, there was an average of 798 traffic fatalities nationwide, which are about 50 more deaths than on any other week of the year. In 2011, accidents on interstate freeways increased by 25 percent from the previous year.
There are many different causes for the increase in crash deaths during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Perhaps the most significant is relatively simple: when there are more vehicles on the road, there are more opportunities for them to collide with one another.
“Whenever traffic volume goes up, crashes generally go up as well,” says Allen Parrish, director of the University of Alabama Center for Advanced Public Safety. “This isn’t really rocket science here: You have a lot of people on the roads over Thanksgiving, so the crashes are naturally going to get worse.”
Drunk driving is another common cause of Thanksgiving accidents, as many families include wine or beer with their holiday meals. Also, people who are late to Thanksgiving celebrations or who are driving to unfamiliar locations are more prone to speeding and distraction behind the wheel.
Whatever you are doing to mark the Thanksgiving holiday, we hope that you and your loved ones remain safe and happy throughout the weekend.
Source: USA Today, “Thanksgiving week one of deadliest on the highway,” Larry Copeland, Nov. 18, 2012
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