What are the 4 deadliest holidays for drivers in Frederick County?

American holidays have a lot of variety. From religious observations to celebrations of culture or historical moments, it seems there’s a holiday every few weeks. While everyone loves a three-day weekend, holidays can also bring out the worst driving behaviors.

The most common causes of holiday crashes are congested roads, stressed drivers engaging in road rage and reckless driving, and more people getting behind the wheel while intoxicated.

With over 38,000 traffic fatalities in the U.S. in 2020, all holidays have the potential to turn deadly. Here are the top 4 deadliest holidays for driving in America.

Deadliest Holidays to Drive Number 4: Thanksgiving Eve

Date: Fourth Wednesday of November

The origin story of Thanksgiving celebrates the first joining of Native Americans and pilgrims during America’s early history. People usually take two days off plus the weekend, making it one of the longest holiday weekends.

Fun fact: Nicknamed “Wild Turkey Wednesday” The Night before Thanksgiving is actually the nation’s busiest bar night!

As with all holidays, drinking and driving play their part in Turkey Day fatalities. However, Thanksgiving traffic is some of the heaviest of the year, with highways and surface streets sometimes at their busiest. Heavy traffic coupled with the stress of trying to get somewhere on time can make drivers rude and impatient.

On top of that, the famous shopping “holiday” Black Friday usually starts Thanksgiving EVE (Wednesday), adding even more stressed-out drivers to the already congested streets.

Deadliest Holidays to Drive Number 3: Halloween

Date: October 31

Originally a Celtic holiday celebrating the end of the harvest and later adapted into a festival to ward off fairies and witches, Halloween today is a beloved tradition in America for kids and adults alike.

Unfortunately, Halloween is also particularly dangerous due to the increase in traffic fatalities. Halloween is a party holiday for many young adults, leading to more drunk drivers. Couple that with kids in dark costumes wandering the streets, and you have a recipe for disaster.

While adults should avoid driving if they’ve been drinking, parents and guardians can help keep their children safe by adding reflective tape to their costumes or candy buckets.

The day of the week that Halloween falls on has an effect on how safe the roads are. The deadliest days for Halloween are Friday and Tuesday.

 

Deadliest Holidays to Drive Number 3: St Patrick’s Day

Date: March 17th

Another spring holiday, St Patrick’s Day is the day when many around the world get a chance to say “Top of the Morning To ye”. St. Patrick’s Day is also right around the middle of spring break for many students, so it’s a fun time to celebrate with friends and family.

Traditional St Patrick Day celebrations include Irish Pubs, festivals, and good old fashioned bar crawls.

Unfortunately, St Patrick Day has 19% more traffic fatalities than the average holiday — due, again, to drunk driving and increased traffic. What’s more, 52% of all traffic deaths occurred because someone involved wasn’t wearing a seat belt.

 

Deadliest Holidays to Drive Number 1: New Year’s Eve

Date: December 31

You knew this was coming when you opened this article, but yes, New Year’s Eve is by far the worst night to be on the road. We all enjoy a good time out, but when ringing in the New Year, people tend to overdo it as they wash all of the previous year’s troubles away with a tasty beverage.

Police checkpoints galore, especially in Frederick County, you best be weary of getting behind the wheel after the ball drops.

 

Fun fact: For all of these holidays, SOS Safe Ride provides all rides for FREE.

There, now you have no excuse, don’t drink and drive!