This Thanksgiving holiday is shaping up to be an especially dangerous one on the roads. The number of car accidents in western Missouri and St. Joseph will not be increased by lots of travel and drunk driving, but also some bad weather that forecasters are saying will hit at just the wrong time.
3 Reasons Why Thanksgiving Can Be One of the Most Dangerous Holidays to Drive
One of the leading catalysts for more car accidents is simply volume: The more people drive, the more crashes there will be. Each driver has the same odds of getting in a crash as before. However, with more drivers, the total number of accidents is bound to increase.
However, there are also two important factors that can increase the odds of each driver getting into an accident: Bad weather and alcohol.
Bad weather is more difficult to drive in. Meanwhile, drunk drivers pose a risk to themselves and others. In both cases, drivers can be acting completely reasonably and still get hurt in a car crash if they are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Vehicle Miles Skyrocket on Thanksgiving
According to AAA, over 55 million Americans were planning to travel more than 50 miles over the Thanksgiving holiday. Most of those people – an estimated 49.3 million of them – would drive, making this afternoon the worst travel period of the year.
Even if there were no other factors, these millions of added vehicle miles would make the total number of crashes increase.
Alcohol and the Night Before Thanksgiving
The night before Thanksgiving is, to the surprise of some, one of the busiest nights of the year for bars in the U.S. It is even referred to as Blackout Wednesday or Drinksgiving. Siblings and high school friends who return for the Thanksgiving holiday with their families tend to hit the bar for a night of catching up, beforehand.
According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 800 people have died in car accidents on the day before Thanksgiving between 2013 and 2017. Many of them were in crashes where alcohol was a factor.
Early Winter Makes for Tricky Weather Conditions
Unfortunately, Thanksgiving is also perfectly placed on the calendar for some tricky weather conditions anywhere except the south and sunny regions in the western U.S. For states like Missouri, late November is when the weather begins to really make the turn into winter. Snow is not unheard of for the Thanksgiving holiday, and when it is not snowing, any rain can freeze in the rapidly cooling temperatures.
Thanksgiving 2019 in St. Joseph is no exception.
While today is clear, Thanksgiving Day has a significant chance of rain while the temperatures are only just a shade over freezing. The chance for some ice on the roads should not be overlooked.
Car Accident Lawyers at the Smith Law Office in St. Joseph
If you or a loved one gets hurt in a car accident over the holiday, the personal injury lawyers at the Smith Law Office in St. Joseph can help. Contact them online or call their law office at (816) 875-9373.