Holidays are meant to be a joyful and relaxing time, but from Thanksgiving to the New Year holiday are typically a dangerous time to be on the road. As people are traveling on the roads with their families, many car accidents can be devastating. While the numbers vary from year to year, an average of 343 people die in traffic deaths each year during the three-day Christmas holiday period. Even more — an average of 373 — die over the three-day New Year holiday, according to the National Safety Council.
If you are involved in a car accident during the holidays and need legal advice—call the accident attorneys and personal injury attorneys of Missouri at Boehmer Law. We offer a free consultation appointment to discuss your situation to see what we can do to help you. Call 636-896-4020 for legal help.
Here are several steps to take, before you set out and while driving, to decrease your risk of becoming a holiday statistic:
Do Not Drive Without Sleep
Drowsy driving is a recipe for disaster. As many as one in five fatal crashes involves a drowsy driver, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. When you are sleepy, your reflexes are slower, and you are not as aware of your surroundings. Both can lead to accidents. Get a good night's sleep before setting out. If possible, have an alert adult passenger in the car at all times to look out for road hazards and suggest a stop, a nap, or a switch out drivers if you're tired.
Preventive Car Maintenance
Be sure to service your car before taking off for long holiday trips. For example, make sure you have had a recent oil change and basic car inspection. Inspect tires for wear and tear. Check the tread by doing the quarter test. (Insert a quarter upside down into the tread; if the top of Washington's head is exposed at any point, it's time for new tires.) Look also for any bulges in the tires. A mechanic can also look at the brake pads to be sure they don't need to be replaced.
Check Road Conditions
First, take look at the weather forecasts for the areas you will be traveling in so you know what to expect. If you don't have a traffic app on your phone, such as Waze, check out state sites that alert motorists to road conditions.
Plan Day Time Trips
If at all possible, start and finish trips during daylight hours. That helps reduces risk of accidents. The death rate at night from traffic accidents is three times that of daylight driving. Hazards rise at night for many reasons. More impaired drivers are on the road, whether due to drinking or drugs.
Do Not Drive Distracted
Distracted driving is also hazardous, and cell-phone use may top the list of causes. An estimated one in four car crashes involves the use of a cell phone, the National Safety Council experts say. If you get a text, have someone else read and respond or wait until you pull over safely to read and reply to your text.
Watch Your Speed
Excess speed is a factor in about 70 percent of accidents involving fatalities, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Buckle Up Every Where in the Car
Seat belts are standard equipment in vehicles. Surprisingly, only 78 percent of adult passengers in the backseat use seat belts, according to a report from the Governors Highway Safety Association, compared to 87 percent in the front seat. In vehicle crashes that involved a fatality, only 60 percent were wearing seat belts in the back and 74 percent in the front, the report found.
If you need help with your insurance company, or medical bills and you do not know where to turn--call our St. Charles, MO personal injury attorneys at Boehmer Law for a free consultation appointment at 636-896-4020. Let us help you.
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