Thanksgiving and Independence Day are the most dangerous holidays for drivers in the United States. Due to fatigue, impaired, distracted or careless driving, traffic fatalities spike during holiday breaks every year. Many of the deaths happening on America's roads are preventable, according to the National Safety Council.
The organization analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, to find that 493 people died in traffic each Thanksgiving between 1995 and 2022 on average, with the holiday period defined as lasting from Wednesday night through Sunday. The Independence Day holiday period saw an average of 451 traffic fatalities during the same time, with the period varying in length depending on the weekday July 4 falls on.
As our chart shows, drunk driving is a major contributor to holiday season traffic deaths. On average, between 36 percent (Thanksgiving) and 42 percent (New Year's) of holiday traffic fatalities involved alcohol-impaired driving, compared to 31 percent throughout the year. Besides designating a sober driver or arranging alternative transportation for the holidays, the National Safety Council proposes practicing defensive driving, buckling up, avoiding distractions and being wary of fatigue as the roads fill up once more ahead of the holiday season.
