Travel Safely During the Thanksgiving Holiday

According to the National Safety Council, Thanksgiving weekend is the second most dangerous holiday time to be on the road. The Fourth of July is the only holiday season that has more accidents.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) projects that 55.3 million people will be traveling over the 2019 Thanksgiving holiday and 49.3 of them will be in their cars and on the highways. The holiday begins on Wednesday, November 27 and ends Sunday evening, December 1.

Times Not to Be on the Road

INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, predicts that roads will be congested from Monday before the actual holiday until the holiday season is over. Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, is projected to be the busiest travel day of the holiday week. Travel is expected to be so heavy that travelers should plan on it taking them four times as long as it ordinarily takes to get to wherever they are headed. On Wednesday, the 10 major metropolitan areas in the U.S. will experience the heaviest traffic of all on beginning as early as 2 p.m. and lasting until around 7:30 p.m.

Tips for Safe Travel

AAA also projects they will receive 360,000 calls for roadside assistance during this holiday week. The main reasons people call for help are:

• Dead batteries.
• Flat tires.
• Locked themselves out.

The Automobile Association recommends travelers check their cars before they leave home to be sure the vehicle is in good shape and not likely to break down. In addition to checking the batteries and tires, they should also make sure all fuel levels are correct and possibly change the oil if necessary.

Major tips should be common sense:

• Do not violate the speed limit or go faster than is safe for the road conditions.
• Do not respond to road rage. If someone races by you or cuts you off at top speed, do not engage. It is much better to arrive at your destination alive than to fight with some reckless person who is on the road.
• Do not drive distracted. This means do not text, only use a wireless connection for talking on the phone, and don’t turn around to discipline the kids.
• Be sure everyone in the car is wearing their seatbelt.
• Drive sober!

Even if you do everything right, someone else’s mistake may interrupt or even ruin your holiday pleasure. If that happens, the personal injury attorneys at Springer & Lyle can help you obtain reasonable compensation for your injuries, lost wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other physical damage. Contact us at 940.387.0404 for a free consultation.