Labor Day often marks the end of the summer season for Americans across the country. Celebrated originally in 1882, Labor Day is a nationwide holiday celebrating the country’s workers and their contributions to the United States. Although it is a happy and celebratory period, drivers should be cautious during Labor Day weekend. Year after year an increase in accidents and fatalities is recorded during this holiday period. For more information and legal advice contact a New York car accident lawyer today.
Why Do Drivers Need to Exercise Caution on Labor Day?
People tend to travel more during holiday weekends, so highway traffic sees a significant increase. Summer holidays are some of the busiest across the United States, meaning that Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day see more traffic than normal.
Labor Day in particular contributes a significant amount to the number of car accidents recorded across the country. Studies from a car insurance app, Jerry, suggest that Labor Day weekend has one of the highest motor vehicle fatality rates, second only to Thanksgiving.
Labor Day weekend sees a spike in crashes and resulting deaths due to the following and more.
- Increased amount of cars on the road
- Drunk or drugged driving
- Distracted driving
- Long distance travel
Studies show that nearly 500 people suffered car accident-related deaths in 2022. 39% of these crashes involved a drunk driver. People tend to indulge themselves in alcoholic beverages during the summer holidays. Overserving yourself and getting behind the wheel can result in irreparable damage and life-altering repercussions.
How Can You Help Avoid Accidents?
It is important to be aware of the dangers of driving during high traffic hours on Labor Day weekend and exercise caution to prevent accidents and unnecessary deaths. Refer to the following when preparing for your holiday weekend.
- Plan ahead: Plan your drive ahead of time. Check out which routes you can take and get on the road early to beat the rush. The fewer cars are on the road and the more comfortable you are with the drive, the less likely you are to be involved in a crash.
- Drive sober: As established, intoxicated driving heavily contributes to accidents and deaths during Labor Day weekend. Because of the properties of alcohol and drugs, when you are intoxicated you cannot safely operate a vehicle. Get a ride or abstain from drinking if you know you’ll be on the road.
- Pay attention: Distracted driving has the potential to cause or exacerbate an accident. Whether you are chatting to a passenger in your car, checking the GPS, or returning a text, anything that takes your attention away from the road can be dangerous.
- Obey the law: Besides not drinking and driving, following all of the rules of the road can help prevent an accident. Keep to the legal speed limit, use your turn signals, do not cut people off or drive erratically, do not make illegal U-turns, do not tailgate, and generally drive with caution.
Follow the above tips and drive with caution during Labor Day weekend this year. For legal advice and representation in an accident or wrongful death case, reach out to a skilled attorney with Zlotolow & Associates.