Thanksgiving is one of those times of year when many people get in their cars to go and see family or friends. Unfortunately, each year, several of them never make it, or never make it back home afterward, due to being killed in a car crash. Plenty of others get injured in crashes, too.
Some of this is down to the large amount of drivers on the road, many of whom are making long journeys. Much of it is down to the fact that drivers often consume alcohol over Thanksgiving.
Wednesday is the day with the biggest number of fatalities of the holiday
While Thanksgiving Day itself is dangerous, with an average of 109 deaths per year on this day, the day before is the deadliest, with an average of 114 deaths per year, followed by the Friday after Thanksgiving, with an average of 112 deaths per year.
Drunken driving plays a role in 25% of the fatalities on the Wednesday before the holiday, 31% on Thanksgiving Thursday and 25% on Black Friday.
What can you do to try and stay safe?
Understanding how dangerous these days are to drive is a good start. You can then exercise extra caution knowing that other drivers will be tired or affected by alcohol.
You should make sure you don’t drink and drive, and remember that alcohol can stay in the system overnight, too, affecting you the next day. Also, try and get adequate rest before you set off and before you return.
Do your best to avoid distractions, and remember to always keep a following distance of at least three seconds. If a collision does occur, be sure to learn about your options to claim compensation.