The holidays are a joyous time for many. It’s a time to spend with loved ones, family and friends. When enjoying the festivities, family gatherings and special holiday events, many families choose to travel by car. Unfortunately, car travel has the highest rate of fatalities of any form of transportation. According to the National Safety Council, an estimated 340 people will die in Christmas car accidents this holiday season. Safety experts estimate that an additional 38,700 people will suffer injuries in car accidents.
To help improve your chances of avoiding a serious accident, it is important to understand how the most common Christmas car accidents occur.
Top 7 Most Common Christmas Car Accidents
- Spin Out Collisions. When the roads are slick and wet with snow and ice, it is easy to lose control of your vehicle. Drivers who are driving too fast for weather conditions or who hit a patch of black ice may throw their car into a spin. If your car begins to spin out of control, it can cause serious and deadly accidents.
How to Avoid: You can avoid these accidents by always taking turns slowly and reducing your speed by 10-20mph on slick roads.
- Rear-End Crashes. Drivers who start sliding or who begin to lose control of their vehicles may hit the brakes quickly to stop the vehicle. Unfortunately, on winter roads, hitting the brakes can cause you to skid and may result in a rear-end accident.
How to Avoid: To avoid these accidents, increase your following distance. Give yourself more room to maneuver out of the way and never tailgate behind other drivers.
- Lane Drifting. Snow and rain can make it difficult to see where you’re going. In winter conditions, this can cause drivers to drift out of their lane and into oncoming lanes, onto the shoulder or even off the road completely. When the road isn’t visible, dangerous accidents can occur.
How to Avoid: Avoid these types of accidents by going slowly and using deductive reasoning to maintain a safe lane space. Follow other vehicle tracks if necessary.
- Drunk Driving Accidents. Across the country, impaired drivers cause 38 percent of all holiday traffic fatalities. Drunk drivers can cause serious car accidents as well as collisions with bicyclists and pedestrians.
How to Avoid: Never drink and drive. Always designate a sober driver or call an Uber or Lyft to help you get home safely. - Cellphone Distraction Accidents. Cellphones can cause significant distractions when drivers use them while driving. This includes using text messages, surfing the internet and using GPS mapping.
How to Avoid: To avoid these accidents, map out your destination and route ahead of time. Turn your phone to airplane mode or place your device in the glove box to avoid cellphone notifications and distractions while driving.
- Holiday Lights Distraction Accidents. Holiday lights might be beautiful, but for many, they can cause significant distractions on the road. Drivers looking at Christmas lights may not notice pedestrians on the road or they may rear-end other drivers.
How to Avoid: Try not to take your eyes off the road to look at Christmas lights or other holiday decorations. If you want to look, consider parking and walking through a neighborhood or pulling over to the side of the road for extra safety.
- Road Rage Accidents: The holidays can cause tremendous amounts of stress for many drivers. This can cause them to drive aggressively, speed or engage in dangerous driving behaviors.
How to Avoid: Give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination. If you feel yourself getting stressed or angry, consider listening to some calming music or pulling over until you are able to better handle the traffic and stress of driving.
Need Help After a Christmas Car Accident? Contact Our California Car Accident Lawyer
At Dolen, Tucker, Tierney & Abraham, our experienced car accident attorney can help after you have suffer an injury in an automotive collision. We know how difficult it can be to obtain the money you need after a serious car accident. That’s why we work quickly to get our injury clients the money they deserve. Give us a call at (909) 473-4948 and schedule a free consultation today.