INDIANA – A new study has revealed which US holidays are the most dangerous for drivers, based on reported road fatalities – and it turns out Thanksgiving is the deadliest.
The research, compiled by Ohio personal injury lawyer John Fitch, analyzed National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data on fatal motor vehicle crashes reported on major US holidays to identify which are the most dangerous for drivers.
Drivers may think twice before taking to the road on Thanksgiving, as the holiday sees the highest increase in road fatalities compared to any other event in the US.
An average of 405 fatal crashes occur on the national holiday each year – which is almost three times the daily average for November (109).
This is a substantially higher rise than seen across US holidays generally, as the typical increase is 140% between the day of the event and an average day in the same month.
While it’s unclear what the exact reason for this increase is, it could be that ‘Blackout Wednesday’ – otherwise known as Drinksgiving, plays a role in increasing the danger for drivers.
Even those who aren’t partaking in the alcohol-heavy event could still be affected by the after-effects of celebrating with their family, such as feeling tired, sluggish, or run down.
With findings from the National Safety Council revealing that driving without sleep for a consecutive 20 hours is just as dangerous as driving with a blood concentration of 0.08% (the US legal limit), it makes sense that celebratory holiday days pose a higher risk on the road.
Following behind Thanksgiving as the second-deadliest holiday for drivers is Memorial Day, which sees on-the-day fatalities up by 259% compared to the rest of May. Third is the Fourth of July, with an increase of 227% – almost a fifth (18%) lower than Thanksgiving’s rise.
Fatalities reported on major holidays, compared to monthly averages
| Holiday | Month of Fatalities | Day of Fatalities | % On-the-Day Change |
| Memorial Day | 106 | 381 | 259 |
| Fourth of July | 115 | 376 | 227 |
| Labor Day | 118 | 332 | 181 |
| Halloween | 116 | 105 | -9 |
| Thanksgiving | 109 | 405 | 272 |
| Christmas | 103 | 297 | 188 |
| New Year’s Eve | 103 | 87 | -16 |
| New Year’s Day | 91 | 108 | 19 |
On the other end of the scale, the holidays that proved the least hazardous for drivers are Halloween and New Year’s Eve.
Drivers may want to travel on these days compared to any other time in October and December, as both see a decrease in fatal crashes on the day versus throughout the month.
In the run-up to the spookiest day of the year, the average daily fatalities are 116, while Halloween itself only sees 105 – a 9% drop perhaps caused by people walking while trick or treating.
New Year’s Eve brings an even more significant decrease of 16% down to 87, against December’s average daily figure of 103 – likely as everyone is busy attending parties.
This is in sharp contrast to New Year’s Day, which sees a rise in on-the-day fatalities, increasing by 19% to 108 from the 91 typical of a day in January, suggesting the aftermath of New Year’s Eve celebrations are more dangerous than celebrating the event itself.
“It’s a well-known fact people travel to spend time with their friends and family on holidays, so; naturally, there’s going to be more traffic on the roads in the run-up to a major event like Christmas or Halloween,” said a spokesperson at John Fitch. “With increased traffic comes increased risk – particularly for celebrations that can run quite late, like on New Year’s Day, as people are likely to be tired from the night before and therefore may struggle to concentrate as well as they normally do.
If you plan to travel, you must be conscious of your condition and consider your safety. Ask yourself, are you okay driving? Have you slept enough? Will the alcohol be out of your system? Only when the answer is yes to all those questions is it safe to drive.
