California Drivers Should Prepare for Labor Day Weekend Collisions

Labor Day is Fourth Deadliest Day to Travel in United States

The three summer months beginning on Memorial Day and ending on Labor Day are known as the deadliest time of the year for traffic accidents.

Indeed, the number of traffic fatalities significantly grows in June, July, and August and the peak time for collisions is over the holiday weekends: Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day.

Heading into Labor Day weekend, travelers may want to consider preparing themselves for the busy roadways by avoiding them at peak times, conducting a safety check of their vehicle, preparing for a safe way home if they are planning to drink or stay up late to avoid drunk or drowsy driving. Labor Day is the fourth-most dangerous holiday for drivers in the United States behind the Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Thanksgiving, according to the National Safety Council (NSC).

According to the NSC, some 394 motorists were killed over Labor Day compared to 540 motorists over the 4-day Fourth of July weekend, 436 for Thanksgiving, and 407 for Memorial Day. There are an estimated 34.1 million people traveling at least 50 miles over the Labor Day weekend starting on Friday evening and ending at midnight on Monday morning, according to AAA. There were also reportedly more than 42,000 serious injuries over Labor Day.

Contributing Factors in Crashes Over Labor Day weekend:

More people travel. Roughly 34 million Americans will travel to destinations at least 50 miles away from their homes over the Labor Day weekend, according to AAA. Gas prices average about $3.60 in California and are not high enough to keep people home. The more people using our roadways, the more chances for an accident. Thousands of drivers and their passengers suffer serious injuries every year.
Drunk driving. Drunk driving makes up roughly 40 percent of all fatal traffic accidents in June, July, and August every year, according to the National Safety Council. During the 3-month summer seasons, there are roughly 3,000 deaths caused by alcohol-related crashes, an increase of nearly 80 percent compared to other times of the year.
Driving at nighttime. Most people spend the entire day celebrating with family and friends before they travel home at night. Traffic accident that occur at night after 6 p.m. and before 6 a.m. are three times more likely to be fatal, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Contributing to the risk of collisions at night is drowsy driving and drunk driving.

Buckle Up Seat Belts to Reduce Injury Risk

One of the easiest ways you can reduce your risk of being hurt in a car crash is to wear your seat belt. Most people aren’t going to avoid driving on Labor Day weekend, but they can take steps to make their drive safe by not using alcohol and not getting behind the wheel when they are tired. You can’t control what other drivers are going to do on the road, but you can protect yourself and your family by taking precautionary steps.

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James Johnson

James Johnson is passionate about educating the public about the myriad of individuals who are not following the rules of the road.His hope is to bring public awareness in order to change the laws to better protect our communities.