Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog
The Thanksgiving holiday period stretches from the evening of the Wednesday before Thanksgiving through the Sunday after. During this time, there will be many more people on the roads, and there is a far greater risk of becoming involved in a motor vehicle collision as compared with non-holidays. A Boston car accident lawyer knows drivers need to be aware of the added risk of traveling on Thanksgiving, and should be sure to take steps to stay safe. 
Thanksgiving Car Travel Can Be Dangerous
According to USA Today, this Thanksgiving may be an especially high-risk time for motorists. The reason: There will be a record number of travelers on the roads.
There are expected to be more travelers this Thanksgiving than any time since 2007. Estimates suggest around 46.3 million people will travel at least 50 miles from their homes over the holiday. This is a 4.2 percent increase in the number of people going long distances to see friends and family during the weekend. More than 89 percent of these people will travel by car. This means there are going to be 41.3 million people driving over the holiday weekend.
A big part of the reason for the added travel is fuel prices are the lowest they have been in five years. Unfortunately, when there is a higher volume of traffic on the roads, this leads to an increase in collisions.
Another USA Today article indicates Thanksgiving is already dangerous enough, even without record numbers of people on the roads. Thanksgiving is the third most dangerous of the holidays when it comes to traffic collisions. Only the Fourth of July and Memorial Day will have a higher number of fatal traffic accidents in comparison. This means fewer people will lose their lives in crashes on both Christmas and New Years Eve than on Thanksgiving.
The number of traffic crashes over Thanksgiving is so high the fatalities over just this weekend account for 15 percent of all of the deaths in traffic accidents that occur in the entire month of November. There are typically more than 400 people killed each Thanksgiving weekend. In 2006, a record number of people (623 total) lost their lives in crashes that weekend.
Motorists who will be behind the wheel need to be aware they face major risks, not just because of more drivers but also because lots of people drink and drive. Drivers need to give themselves plenty of time to get to their destination so they don’t have to speed. Additionally, they need to make sure they stay sober before getting behind the wheel. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also advises motorists to buckle up and securely fasten their children into appropriate child protective seats before heading out for their Thanksgiving drives.
If you are injured in an accident in Massachusetts, call Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for a free and confidential appointment — (617) 777-7777.
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