Thanksgiving in New York means family gatherings, long drives, and a whole lot of traffic. Whether you’re heading downstate to see family on Long Island or driving north through the snowy Adirondacks, it’s one of the busiest, and unfortunately, most dangerous, travel weekends of the year. The National Safety Council estimates more than 500 people could lose their lives on U.S. roads this Thanksgiving weekend because of heavy traffic, distractions, and drunk driving.
Searches for “Thanksgiving safety tips” are already up more than 200%, and “worst time to drive Thanksgiving” has jumped by 250%. It’s clear people are worried and rightfully so. “Blackout Wednesday,” the night before Thanksgiving, is notorious for alcohol-related crashes, often outpacing New Year’s Eve. Combine that with tired drivers, bad weather, and post-turkey naps behind the wheel, and you’ve got a perfect storm of danger on New York roads.
The Biggest Thanksgiving Driving Dangers Are the Ones We Can Control
We like to think we’re careful drivers, but holiday travel changes the game. The biggest risks during Thanksgiving weekend are ones most of us can control, we just have to think ahead…