Thanksgiving Traffic Accidents – Why Do So Many Happen? - Hildebrand & Wilson LLC

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Traffic accidents tend to increase over holidays, a fact that most auto accident lawyers will agree with.

Of all the holidays celebrated in the United States, car accident attorneys have determined that Thanksgiving is one with some of the highest crash and fatality rates every year.

To prevent accidents, personal injury lawyers believe that drivers need to understand why these accidents happen in the first place.

Countless Traffic Accidents Over The Thanksgiving Holiday

In the state of Texas as well as around the country, Thanksgiving is one of the holidays reporting the most traffic accidents and resulting fatalities.

According to TxDOT, Thanksgiving has the third-highest number of fatalities behind Memorial Day and the 4th of July.

In 2019 alone, there were 35 fatal crashes and 37 fatalities over the Thanksgiving holiday according to Texas auto accident lawyers.¹

In 2018, there were 385 fatalities and many more accidents during the 4-day Thanksgiving holiday period, equating to 11.67% of all traffic fatalities in the entire month of November.²

Why So Many Holiday Accidents?

On Thanksgiving, as with most other holidays, car accident attorneys see the question frequently asked: why so many holiday accidents?

There are a few answers to this important question:

More Traffic - The most obvious answer that lawyers find as the reason for more accidents over Thanksgiving is that there is more traffic on the roads. Thanksgiving is one of the most celebrated holidays in the U.S. with numerous individuals and families driving over the 4-day holiday period to see family and friends and celebrate this national holiday with them.
Drowsy and Drunk Driving - With all that celebrating going on, more people are driving while drowsy to get to and from locations and more people are taking to the roads after drinking during such celebrations.
Bad Weather - Another factor that attorneys attribute to many winter holiday accidents is poor driving conditions due to bad weather. It is not uncommon for many areas to see rain, sleet, or snow over the Thanksgiving holiday, making the driving more dangerous.
Out-of-Town Drivers - On top of the other factors that can make having an accident more likely, auto accident lawyers also find that unfamiliarity with local roads can make out-of-town drivers even more at risk when driving on Thanksgiving.

How Can A Thanksgiving Accident Be Avoided?

Since Thanksgiving is supposed to be about spending time celebrating with loved ones, auto accident lawyers recommend that anyone driving take the main causes into account and take steps to avoid them:

Plan for more traffic and leave earlier or stay later to try to drive before or after the normal heavy travel days!
Get enough rest before driving your car long distances to prevent drowsy driving!
Avoid driving too soon after indulging in alcohol!
Plan the trip ahead of time and map it all out on a mapping program or onboard GPS!
Pay attention and drive carefully, especially in high traffic conditions.
Consider waiting out any bad weather!

Have A Safe Thanksgiving This Year

Thanksgiving is a holiday that accounts for a high number of traffic accidents that leave many people seeking the services of car accident attorneys.

The best way to avoid being one of those people is to understand what factors contribute to these holiday accidents and avoid them.

Anyone injured in an accident over Thanksgiving or any holiday should contact a local personal injury lawyer who can help them with their injury case!