Nearly 50 Million Travelers Will Head Out For Thanksgiving In A Car

It’s that time of year again when our friends at AAA make a projection as to how many people will be traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday. This year the organization is projecting the third largest travel weekend since the year 2000 with over 55 million people planning to travel. Some travelers will be flying and others will be traveling in other ways, but the vast majority of travelers will be driving to their destination this year. AAA is projecting that 49.3 million people will be getting behind the wheel of their car and traveling to their Thanksgiving destination.

With this much traffic on the roads it is not too much of a stretch to assume that safety may become an issue and additional New Haven auto accidents may be likely to occur. With one of the busiest Interstate highways in the country passing through the Elm City is more than likely that the roads will be more crowded and therefore present more challenges to those who will be traveling to see family or friends for this Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

In order to keep yourself and those you are traveling with safe you will want to take some safety steps to make sure your trip is successful and free from incidents. While there are some safety steps you can take if you’re flying like arriving at the airport early and checking weather forecasts before you head to the airport, when you are driving to your destination there are quite a few things you can make sure you do to remain safe behind the wheel.

#1: Follow the posted speed limits. During a busy traffic weekend, the last thing you should be doing is driving over the speed limit. As has been mentioned on this site numerous times, excessive speed not only leads to more accidents but it is also much more likely to make an accident worse then it otherwise would have been if the drivers involved were traveling at the posted speed limit. If you are in an unfamiliar location you may need to keep an eye out for the posted speed limit so you can stay within what is required by law and not get going too fast and put yourself and your passengers at risk of getting injured.

#2: Be careful you’re not driving while drowsy. It’s a tried and true Hollywood troupe, the person who eats too much turkey at Thanksgiving dinner and then falls asleep. While it gets parodied a lot in Hollywood, this is actually something that may happen to you. Anytime you eat a big meal and then get behind the wheel there is a possibility that you will be slightly drowsy. Add a big meal and turkey together and you’re much more likely to have a problem. If you are driving while drowsy you should understand the danger that that presents. Even closing your eyes for a split second as you’re “dozing” off your car can travel up to a football field in length. You can imagine that this would put you in a dangerous situation.

#3: Don’t drink and drive. Many people like to have a glass of wine or a cocktail when celebrating the holidays and that can be harmless, until you have your drink and then get behind the wheel. If you are going to be drinking and needing to get home from your Thanksgiving weekend celebration on the same night you should always designate a driver. Someone who can skip the alcohol for the weekend and drive you and your family or friends home safely without putting anyone at risk is the perfect fit to be your designated driver. If you don’t designate a driver before the start of the night and everyone in your party drinks, you should either call a ride share service like Uber, or plan to stay the night so you can be well rested and sober the next morning to get yourselves home.

The weekend of Thanksgiving can be a special time for families to get together and celebrate each other, but there is always a lot of traffic on the road during this weekend of the year. If you plan ahead and take the steps mentioned above you will be able to avoid a New Haven auto accident with ease and get to and from your destination safely.

Everyone here at the Loricco Law Firm wishes you and your family and friends a safe and happy Thanksgiving weekend!