The holiday season, especially the days immediately around Christmas and New Year’s, tends to see a significant increase in accidents and injuries on America’s roadways. But what exactly prompts that bump in accident numbers?
Here’s a quick look at some of the most prominent factors.
- More traffic: People tend to travel around the holidays to visit friends and loved ones. Even if they’re not traveling far, this still means increased traffic on the roads, and more congested roads means a greater likelihood of accidents occurring.
- Weather: For people who live in parts of the country that see snow and ice over the winter, bad weather is certainly a factor for increased accident figures around the holidays, especially when paired with some of the other factors on this list.
- Stressed driving: People often experience a significant amount of stress over the holidays and may be rushed to their destination for one reason or another. When people’s attention is not on the road, this leads to an increased likelihood of accidents.
- Drunk driving: People attending holiday parties are likely to partake in alcoholic beverages. Drunk driving is much more prevalent over the holidays, particularly on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, so this plays a significant role in the increased accident numbers.
- Lack of familiarity with roads: People who are visiting friends or family over the holidays are not going to be as familiar with the roads in those areas, which means they are more likely to be distracted by trying to find their way.
- Fatigued driving: The holiday season can be demanding. Whether it’s shopping, spending a lot of time with loved ones or planning your decorating, it can be draining and exhausting. This means more people on the roadways are likely to be fatigued over the holidays.
If you were injured in an accident over the holidays caused by a negligent driver, contact an experienced Bradenton, FL personal injury attorney at Goldman, Babboni, Fernandez & Walsh for legal representation.