How to Stay Safe This Holiday Season
With Thanksgiving marking the traditional start of the busy holiday period that will run until the end of December, families in Austin and throughout Texas are gearing up to enjoy the festive season. While nobody should be discouraged from enjoying the holiday cheer, it is important for people not to forget some important safety tips while on the road this season.
The holiday season often brings with it a spike in drunk driving accidents and state authorities are warning drivers that they will be on the lookout for people who choose to drink and drive this season. Last year, 86 people were killed on Texas’ roads and highways in DWI-related car crashes during December.
That figure, of course, does not reflect the countless number of people who also suffered serious injuries at the hands of drunk drivers. Authorities note that one of the problems is that in many cases people who typically don’t drink for most of the year will have a drink or two during the holidays.
Because these people have a much lower alcohol-tolerance level, they are also likelier to be more impaired if they get behind the wheel. Police are stressing that any event where alcohol is being served should have a designated driver and that motorists on the road should not hesitating in dialing 911 if they see a driver who may be inebriated.
Factors That Contribute to a Deadly Holiday Season
Based on a previous article in USA Today, the holiday season is a deadly time on the nation’s roads and highways. The beginning of the holiday season, Thanksgiving, is typically the deadliest day of the year to be on the roads, with hundreds of people being killed each year. Christmas traffic deaths, meanwhile, typically depend on weather.
Counterintuitively, the better the weather, the more car accidents. As much as 30% of all Americans could be traveling if they are not delayed by blizzards and bad weather. Finally, while New Year’s may not be as deadly as Thanksgiving, alcohol does play a much larger role in the end-of-the-year holiday. Between 2007 and 2011, alcohol was a factor in 42% of traffic fatalities during the New Year period, compared with 35% during Christmas.
Wondering why accident rates increase during the holiday season? Find out in our previous blog.
What to Do if You Are Hurt in a Drunk Driving Accident
The holidays should be a time for Texans to spend valuable time with their friends and loved ones. To ensure a happy holiday season, it is important to make sure people don’t put themselves or anybody else at risk by drinking and driving. Unfortunately, however, such advice will not be heeded by everybody. For those who have been injured by an allegedly drunk driver, it is important to reach out to a personal injury attorney in Austin.
Don’t wait to get help! Contact our office to schedule a free consultation today!
