Drinking during the Holidays
Losing a dear one breeds an uncontrollable feeling of despair and excruciating pains. And it arguably becomes a difficult pill to take if they died on a holiday – after a road crash. Unfortunately, that’s a lot of many road users plying various routes during peak holiday periods. Droves of individuals hitting the road and getting off balance with alcohol consumption and drugs have consistently led to tragic accidents in the United States. What are these holidays and how do they stack up to numerous road accidents in the U.S.? Here’s more insight.
Thanksgiving Holiday Period
Thanksgiving holidays are arguably the busiest in the U.S. with lots of cars on commute throughout the weekend. Thanksgiving Eve or Black Wednesday as its popularly known is even more notorious for dreadful scenarios, with increased alcohol binging and everything detrimental to mental alertness taking around the country, consequently leading to road accidents. Thanksgiving holidays fall on the same day annually, so more accurate data can be easily retrieved.
Thanksgiving Fatalities
On record, fatalities astronomically rise to 42% on Thanksgiving eve, with normality usually restored in subsequent days. According to the NTSB, 437 fatalities will be recorded during the Thanksgiving period for 2015, with most casualties resulting from increased travels and alcohol binging by road users. This is alarmingly astonishing, giving the multitude of road users and could make for negative memories if measures are not put in place to stem this annual nightmare.
Thanksgiving Nonfatal injuries
Injuries deemed non-fatal usually resolve without extensive medical care. For the 2016 Thanksgiving period, an estimated 44,100 and 57,200 of non-fatal injury cases are expected to be recorded.
Christmas Accidents
Christmas, an annual event which falls on varying days is another common holiday with high records of road accidents. Since there’s no fixed day of the week, statistics vary annually, with more road users translating to increased accidents. It is believed that up to 41% of accidents during the Christmas holiday are alcohol-related. Accidents on Christmas day are also fewer than are recorded on the Eve of Christmas as fewer people binge on alcohol and would rather spend time with loved ones at home.
Christmas Fatalities
Fatalities are believed to be in the staggering range of 259 to 362 deaths during Christmas holidays.
Christmas Holiday Injuries
Non-fatal injuries associated with the Christmas period falls around 31,300 to 43,700 with an average of 37,200.
New Year’s Holiday
Much like Christmas, New Year’s holiday accounts for major annual road accidents, 71% of which is linked to alcohol. Peak accident periods occur between 6 pm on the last day of the year to 6 am on January 1st.
New Year’s Fatalities
Around 367 to 481 traffic deaths are believed to occur as the New Year buzz hits peak annually.
Non-fatal Accident Injuries during New Years
New year accidents also bring little to be desired with sky-high non-fatal injuries in the range of 39,300 – 51,400 expected annually.
Binge Drinking during the Holiday Season
While stopping alcohol consumption may be overly difficult considering the massive number of people involved, a number of strategies can be particularly helpful in preventing or reducing the number of annual casualties as holidays take center stage. Here are vital tips you should consider daily, and most importantly during festive seasons to prevent alcohol-related casualties.
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Reach out to the police if drunk driving is suspected.
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Don’t hesitate to ask for help driving home if you are with a drunk driver.
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When organizing meetups at home, make arrangements for guests’ conveyance with safe drivers.
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Always better to sleep over at a friend’s if it’s too late after a night engagement.
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Use Uber if safe options are not within reach.
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A breathalyzer should always be used before handing over keys to guests after a meet up to prevent drunk driving.
Holidays can be restful and enjoyable days, but only when safety measures are held high. They are surely not the best of times to cringe in horror of an auto crash, there never is a good time to lose a loved one. So before hitting the road and celebrating long-awaited memories, stay clear of alcohol, drive safely and take sweeping measures to protect everyone. The stats provided were last updated in 2015 as data availability is usually not handy.
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