On behalf of Smiley & Smiley, LLP posted in Car Accidents on Monday, December 23, 2013.
The holiday season is often a time to celebrate the good things in life with loved ones. However, it is also too often a time in which loved ones must mourn the loss of family and friends lost in motor vehicle accidents. Even as the Christmas and New Year’s holidays inspire a sense of joy and peace, they also traditionally inspire severe spikes in fatal accident rates nationwide. As a result, it is important that you take precautions in order to remain as safe as possible over the coming week.
Some critical information you should take into consideration when approaching road travel this season is that drivers tend to be far more aggressive at this time of year than at other points. According to a recent report created by State Farm Insurance, nearly one-third of all drivers are more prone to drive aggressively during the holidays. Aggressive driving behaviors may include speeding, cutting off other motorists and similar dangerous maneuvers.
Another recent study conducted by a professor from the University of Alabama confirms traditional data indicating that accident rates spike around and on the winter holidays. The professor who conducted the study recently explained that, “The pressure of the holiday, the pressure of having to find something and running all over to find it and all of those things would tend to distract them. Their mind is on other things, and the next thing you know they’re pulling out in front of somebody.”
These findings and observations indicate that some of the more surefire ways to remain safe this holiday are to be aware of aggressive drivers and to ensure that you are driving in a safe and calm manner. You may not be able to control the stress levels of travelers near you, but you can take precautions to drive defensively yourself.
Source: The Washington Post, “For drivers around Christmastime, it’s not exactly tidings of comfort and joy,” Ashley Halsey III, Dec. 2, 2013
Related Posts: Recognizing and reducing the cost of traumatic brain injuries, What is the concern over New York's hit-and-run laws?, Moving into unchartered territory with self-driving cars, The impaired driving problem and what is being done about it
