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
If you suffered a vehicle injury and need to hire an
experienced auto accident attorney who can help make sure you receive the
benefits you need call Hopkins, Barvié & Hopkins, P.L.L.C. With more than 65 years of combined legal experience,
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