Driving Dangers Before and During the Thanksgiving Holiday

As one of the year’s biggest travel holidays, Thanksgiving prompts its fair share of traffic headaches. It’s only natural to grumble about gridlock, but traffic is not the only driving concern worth considering. Unfortunately, a variety of road-based dangers threaten to ruin your holiday weekend.

Icy Roads

In many regions, Thanksgiving weekend marks the beginning of the winter driving season, complete with deceptively icy roads. Temperatures hovering around 32 degrees Fahrenheit can prove especially dangerous, as they may prompt a hazardous cycle of freezing and thawing. Combine icy conditions with rushed drivers traveling above the speed limit, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Drunk Driving

Drunk drivers only descend on New Year’s Eve or the 4th of July, right? Think again. Thanksgiving travelers often fail to account for the antics of college students, who are more than ready to party with their hometown friends while taking the weekend off.

Several bars host special events the day before Thanksgiving — exactly as drivers attempt to get a head start on the holiday traffic. Drunk driving is also surprisingly prevalent the day of, when the wine may flow a little too heavily before guests head home.

Drowsy Drivers

It’s not unusual to feel tired after a huge Thanksgiving meal. Often, sleepiness strikes just as you’re ready to head home. Long drives only worsen this fatigue.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, drowsy driving is nearly as dangerous as intoxication. Drivers who have not slept in 18 hours, for example, are deemed approximately as proficient behind the wheel as those with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.05.

If you were harmed due to negligence behind the wheel, you owe it to yourself to seek justice. The lawyers of Regan Zambri Long PLLC can provide strong advocacy every step of the way. Get in touch today to learn more about our approach to personal injury.