Thanksgiving is a little more than a week away, and as the weather gets colder and we enter the holiday season, it’s imperative that you do what you can to stay safe behind the wheel if you’ll be traveling for holiday festivities. Getting together with one another is always enjoyable, but heavy traffic, worse driving conditions and the potential for alcohol and spirits to enter the mix can make for a dangerous time behind the wheel.
But what holidays actually rank as the most dangerous driving days on the road? We look at a recent study that outlines the top 10 most dangerous holidays for driving in the US.
Most Dangerous Holidays For Driving
The holidays were ranked by a scoring system on a scale of 0-100, with 100 being the most dangerous driving conditions. Research by Anidjar & Levine Personal Injury Lawyers examined traffic data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to find out which U.S. holidays see the most fatal crashes. Here’s how the holidays ranked:
10. Christmas Day (41.67) – Traffic on Christmas Day may be lighter than other holidays, but distracted driving, driver fatigue and poor road conditions lead to accidents every Christmas Day.
9. New Year’s Eve (54.13) – Many people ring in the new year with alcohol, and if they get behind the wheel after drinking, it can be a deadly combination. The holiday becomes even more dangerous once the clock strikes midnight, as you’ll see below.
8. Veteran’s Day (54.13) – Researchers say that shorter daylight hours and fatigue likely play a role in Veteran’s Day cracking the Top 10.
7. Memorial Day (56.20) – Plenty of traffic congestion on the roads, and more ideal weather conditions mean that drivers are typically traveling at high speeds when they are returning from their Memorial Day adventures.
6. Thanksgiving Day (66.63) – Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days on the road, and if you consume alcohol to celebrate the occasion or to ease the pain of having to entertain your in-laws, it can lead to dangerous driving conditions on the way home.
5. St. Patrick’s Day (68.73) – Many St. Patrick’s Day celebrations involve alcohol, and getting behind the wheel after ringing in the holiday can lead to fatal crashes even at lower speeds.
4. Labor Day (72.90) – Labor Day is very similar to Memorial Day, but it may have even more drivers on the road as families work in one last trip before school starts back up again. All this traffic combined with high speeds and the potential to add alcohol to the mix can prove deadly on the roads.
3. Easter Sunday (81.23) – Heavy traffic on Easter Sunday combined with a big meal and driver fatigue leads to Easter Sunday not only making the top 10 list, but cracking the top three.
2. 4th of July (83.30) – Many people ring in the Fourth of July with road trips, fireworks and potentially with alcohol, all of which can be a deadly mix. 147 people lost their lives on July 4th in 2023, making it the second deadliest day on the road.
1. New Year’s Day (100.00) – Driving home after the clock strikes midnight proves deadly for many. The study found that New Year’s Day was the deadliest day on US roads, as 153 people lost their lives on New Year’s Day in 2023.
Don’t let a fun holiday season turn deadly. Stay focused on the road, travel at safe speeds and never get behind the wheel if you’ve been drinking. The team at Appelman Law Firm wishes you a healthy and happy holiday season, and we’re always here if you need legal assistance. Give us a call at (952) 224-2277.
