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Fatal car accidents and the deadliest holidays

On Behalf of | Dec 14, 2017 | Car Accidents |

Inclement weather, higher traffic, busy stores and shopping malls, many events planned and family gathering all make up the holiday season. Because of that, there tends to be an increased volume of traffic on the roads in Washington State and other states across the nation. This is due to the hustle and bustle of the season as well as the multitude of holiday events going on all month. In addition to individuals and families attempting to get to places in a rush, there is also an increase in drunk driving as well. So motorists need not only be cautious about speeding and distracted drivers but also intoxicated drivers as well.

While there is a higher risk of negligent and drunk drivers during the winter holiday seasons, they are not in fact the deadliest holidays in the U.S. In fact, it is Memorial Day weekend that places motorists and passengers at a higher risk of being involved in a fatal car wreck versus any other weekend in the year. You are four times as likely to get involved in a car accident during this holiday during a non-holiday weekend.

Memorial Day weekend experiences an average of 312 fatal accidents when taking that data from 2011 to 2015 into consideration. The reason for such high numbers because it kicks off the summer, families are likely to travel farther distances and they are likely to speed and drive late into the night.

While this warm weather holiday tops the list, a winter holiday does not fall far behind these accident rates. New Year’s weekend, Christmas and Thanksgiving all see high rates of accidents. All of these holidays see around 200 to 250 fatal accidents each year.

Whether it is due to distractions, speeding, negligence or intoxication, a car accident could alter the lives of those involved. No one expects to be involved in a crash, especially when they are on their way to or from a holiday celebration. Thus, victims of a car crash should understand their legal recourses following a crash. This not only helps them hold a negligent driver accountable but also helps with the recovery of compensation for losses and damages arising from the accident.

Source: Wtsp.com, “The deadliest holiday for car accidents,” May 18, 2017

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