There are certain days of the year where there are just more people on the road. On major holidays, you’ve probably noticed a larger number of law enforcement vehicles on the road. This is because many holidays are far more dangerous than the average day on the road. There are a couple of reasons as to why this is the case. One of the reasons is because there are a lot more people driving on the road on their way to visit their loved ones. They are also most likely traveling on roads that they are not used to driving on and may make mistakes that they normally might not make. Some holidays have a direct correlation to the consumption of alcohol, and are an especially dangerous contributing factor to worsened road conditions.

1. Memorial Day. This holiday is largely known for kicking off the summer season. Because so many people have the desire to enjoy the day off and warm weather, there are a lot of cars on the road. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has data to prove that approximately 400 people die every year on Memorial Day.

2. Black Friday. One of the craziest days of the year isn’t just a disaster in the stores, but on the roads as well. The combination of all of the shoppers traveling to shop and the lack of parking spaces can lead to a congested area that is overcapacity.

3. New Year’s Eve. This one may be more obvious. If you had to choose one night where everyone has a couple of glasses of Champagne, New Year’s Eve is probably at the top of the list. During the day the threat of getting in a car wreck is far less likely than at night. Driving any time after the midnight hour is extremely dangerous due to the increased number of drunk drivers.

4. The 4th of July. From the years of 2000-2013, statistically, Independence Day was the deadliest day of the year. Like New Year’s Eve, there are many people that are under the influence on this day. Combine this with the large number of cars on the road and you have a recipe for disaster.

5. Thanksgiving. ‘Turkey Day’ is one of the busiest days of the year for travel. Millions of people are heading out of town to have a special dinner with their loved ones. Since this holiday is on a Thursday, most hard-working Americans don’t have the whole week off and all travel on the same day, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Here at Bill’s Defensive Driving School, we pride ourselves on educating our students to keep the roads as safe as possible. For more driving safety tips, visit our blog here.