How To Avoid Car Accidents When Driving This Thanksgiving!

Hildebrand & Wilson, LLC in Pearland, Texas - Image of a meal in Friendswood Texas

Holidays are some of the most common times that people are involved in car accidents that leave them making phone calls to car accident law firms the next day.

Of all the holidays, Thanksgiving ranks as the second most unsafe holiday for auto accidents according to the American Safety Council, followed closely by New Years and then Christmas.¹

Knowing this, what can you do to avoid getting into a car accident and needing the services of injury claims attorneys?

Plan ahead this Thanksgiving to avoid becoming one of the thousands of injuries or 500 fatality statistics each Thanksgiving.¹

Consider these important safe driving tips.

1. Never Drive After Consuming Alcohol

Above all other tips, this is one you should always follow.

Besides the risk of being pulled over for DWI, you run the risk of causing a serious or deadly car accident if you drive while intoxicated.

Holidays are for having fun with family and friends. Auto accident lawyers stress that if you’re going to drink, plan your trip accordingly.

Stay later or stop drinking early enough so you’re completely sober by the time you get behind the wheel.

2. Avoid Driving When You’re Sleepy

Many people may not realize it, but driving while fatigued is nearly the same as driving while under the influence of alcohol.

It’s also responsible for just as many accidents.²

As injury claim attorneys can tell you from experience, your reaction time, ability to make decisions, and overall cognition are drastically reduced when you are fatigued.

If you’re tired after all the turkey or it’s later when you start out for home, consider getting some rest first.

3. Avoid Dangerous Distractions

Distracted driving is another big cause of the many car crashes that car accident law firms deal with.³

This is especially true during the holidays when there is a high traffic volume and other drivers who are dealing with the same driving concerns as you are.

Avoid using your phone or texting while driving. Pull over if you need to check a map or your GPS. Don’t eat while you’re driving, either.

4. Leave Early and Stay Later - Skip the Worst Traffic

Traffic volume is always worse on holidays and especially Thanksgiving, which sees a huge increase in the number of drivers on the road at one time.⁴

You can reduce the chance of being in an accident and needing the assistance of injury claim attorneys by leaving a day ahead and coming back a day later to avoid some of the traffic.

If you are unable to do this, try taking an alternate route that might be less busy.

5. Don’t Pressure Yourself

Holiday time usually means a lot of pressure to get things done.

When it comes to driving, this could mean pressure to get to your destination on time and pressure to get home once again on time.

Plan for delays.

Prevent the pressure that could have you making ;bad decisions and end up calling auto accident lawyers later on.

6. Take the Weather into Consideration

By Thanksgiving, many areas may be dealing with poor weather conditions.

Even if you're only dealing with below-freezing temperatures, a little bit of rain could turn the highway into a deadly ice rink.

Check the weather before you leave and plan your drive time and route accordingly, leaving time to pull over if necessary.

7. Plan Your Drive Ahead of Time

Along with planning for weather and how to avoid traffic, mapping out your drive ahead of time is especially important if you’ll be driving unfamiliar roads.

Injury claim attorneys know that getting lost will only increase your stress and the pressure to drive faster to make up for delays.

Get your directions ahead of time and set up your GPS or phone map before leaving so you’ll have the assistance you need to get to your destination without trouble.