With More People on the Roads this Thanksgiving, Vehicle Safety is More Important Than Ever

Gas prices are lower this year, which means Thanksgiving traffic will be a problem.

Traffic congestion tracking firm INRIX, based out of Kirkland, WA reported that, due to lower gas prices this year, Thanksgiving holiday traffic will be up about 3%. Gas prices are currently about $3.20 per gallon, which is 21 cents less than last year, according to AAA.

“What we’ve been seeing this spring and summer is congestion levels up about 6% on average, month over month,” says Jim Bak, INRIX’s director of community relations. “Over the last couple of months, we saw things tail off a little bit. So we expect holiday congestion to be up about 3% over last year. If gas prices weren’t as low as they are, things probably would have been flat compared to last year. With the low gas prices, people have more incentive to travel.”

“I think you are going to see the cheapest Thanksgiving-week prices since 2010,” says Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at GasBuddy.com.

Thanksgiving drivers can expect heavy traffic on Wednesday – the main get-away day – to start about 2 PM, and get really heavy about 3 PM. However, traffic should ease up around 6 PM as everyone approaches their Thanksgiving destinations, with no more major delays about 7 PM.

However, traffic could be higher also because of a rare phenomenon – the lunar-based Jewish holiday, Hannukah, will begin on Thanksgiving this year as well, which would spike road travel regardless of gas prices.

INRIX gathered its data based on real-time information from nearly 100 million vehicles on the roads daily, as well as data from Thanksgiving holiday travel in 2011 and 2012, and trends from other major holidays this year.

“With the improving economy, we suspect more families will be hitting the road to see Grandma or take a few days of vacation,” says Jonathan Adkins of the Governors Highway Safety Association. “It’s critical that drivers buckle up, turn their cellphones off and not excessively speed. These three actions greatly increase the chances of a safe trip.” He adds that all 50 states will step up law enforcement during the peak travel times.

The National Safety Council projects that 436 people will die in traffic crashes between 6 PM on Wednesday, November 27th and 11 PM on Sunday, December 1st. With road traffic death tolls in South Carolina already up compared to the previous three years, South Carolina drivers should be extra careful on the roads this Thanksgiving.

As of midnight on Sunday, November 17th, 56 people had died in Richland County alone. This time last year, that number was 46; in 2011, it was 34; and 2010 saw 37 people die on the roads.

“It’s so stupid.,” Richland County coroner Gary Watts said Tuesday. “We do everything we can to get the message out – don’t drink and drive, put your seat belt on. It’s very frustrating. You just know had they been paying attention, or driving 20 mph slower, or wearing a seat belt, the death wouldn’t have happened.”

The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Personal Injury Cases from Distracted Driving Accidents

Whether the distraction is eating, putting on makeup, talking on a cellphone, or even just daydreaming, distracted driving can lead to an accident, causing serious personal injury or even death. If you have been injured by an accident caused by distracted driving, the South Carolina accident attorneys at the Strom Law Firm, L.L.C. will fight for fair compensation for your injuries. Our South Carolina car accident lawyers are prepared to fight for compensation in the courtroom and will defend your right to compensation for your past and future medical bills, lost wages and future earnings, your pain and suffering, and, in the event of a fatal car accident, even wrongful death. Contact us today for a free consultation. 803.252.4800.