The Thanksgiving holiday is a time filled with football, family, and turkey. However, Thanksgiving is also the time of year that comes with a significant increase in the number of people traveling on the roads around St. Joseph. Unfortunately, with so many drivers either in a rush to get to the family dinner or intoxicated after leaving it, this also makes Thanksgiving a time for car accidents.
Now that the holiday has wrapped up, the Missouri State Highway Patrol has released its data on how bad the roads were in the state of Missouri. Overall, the figures for Thanksgiving 2016 are in line with recent years. However, that is not necessarily good news.
Car Accidents and Fatalities for Thanksgiving Holiday
Because of the sharp increase in traffic before, during, and after Thanksgiving across the country, police departments in all states boost their patrols to make sure the roads stay safe. With traffic peaking on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after it, the Missouri State Police started its heightened patrols at 6pm on Wednesday, November 23, and ran them until midnight on Sunday, November 27.
Of particular interest to the police was a stretch of I-29, running from the Buchanan County line northward to the border with Iowa. This saturation patrol especially impacted people in and around St. Joseph.
In all, the Missouri police responded to 400 car accidents throughout the state. These accidents led to 124 injuries and 10 fatalities on the road.
Unfortunately, these numbers are not far off the average for a typical Thanksgiving holiday. Last year, Missouri police responded to 544 car accidents, which resulted in 150 injuries.
Drunk Driving Arrests on Average, Too
In addition to responding to numerous car accidents, the officers of the Missouri State Highway Patrol also pulled over and arrested drivers who were endangering others on the road. This year, troopers made 103 arrests for drunk driving, up only slightly from last year’s total of 99.
Car Accident Attorneys at the Smith Law Office
Thanksgiving is a time for family. However, car accidents are not things that wait for opportune moments. They can happen at any time of day, any day of the year, and can drastically impact your life for days, months, or even years afterwards.
This is in large part because car accidents are not something that you can control completely. You can minimize your chances of being involved in a serious car crash by practicing safe driving, but poor driving habits of the other people on the road can get you involved in a collision, regardless.
This is when having a capable personal injury attorney like those at the Smith Law Office on your side can ensure that you make a full recovery. By legally representing you both in and out of court, the car accident attorneys at the Smith Law Office in St. Joseph, Missouri fight for your interests and right to get the compensation you deserve.
If you or a loved one has been hurt in a car accident near St. Joseph, contact the Smith Law Office online or call them at (816) 875-9373.