Celebrate fall holidays by avoiding a car crash

On Behalf of | Sep 20, 2018 | Uncategorized

For most states, the majority of motor vehicle crashes occur in the summer or winter. The summer encourages more people to go outside and increases the amount of motorists on the road, while the winter has plenty of snow and icy roads to send even the most careful of drivers crashing into each other. Many overlook fall for being between these two accident prone seasons, but Missouri residents might want to be more careful around these months.

Last year, the Missouri State Highway Patrol claimed that October and November have the most crashes on the state’s highways than any other month in the year. Between 2013 to 2015, autumn had either the highest amount of crashes in the year or the highest fatal crashes. While there are a number of given seasonal obstacles such as deer and colder weather, the troopers did note that there are more holiday travelers that go on the streets in these months. It is crucial for Missourians to remind themselves of these potentially perilous holidays so that they can warrant more caution on the road around these times.

Oktoberfest

Many states in the nation celebrate this German beer festival in several of their towns, and Missouri is no exception. Whether you are in Kansas City or a small town around this time, you know what the biggest hazard will be near a festival that has plenty of alcohol.

Though local police will be on guard near these locations, you should be on the lookout for any suspicious driving behavior and stay far away once you spot the intoxicated driver. Take an early exit to let them pass by or go away in a further lane to avoid them.

Halloween

If you arrive home late at night on Halloween, drive slowly if you live in a neighborhood full of children. Keep the lights shining bright, as the children can have unpredictable walking patterns when they trick or treat.

However, like Oktoberfest, your bigger concern will be on drunk drivers. Though young adults and college campuses will likely not celebrate on Halloween day this year, the weekend before is bound to have dozens of parties with costumes and drinking. Kansas City unfortunately has experience with it, as nearly a decade ago, an underage drinker left a party and killed a 16-year-old girl on his drive home. The driver and party host received charges for their negligence.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time for families to have a day off and celebrate with each other, but highway troopers know it as one of the year’s deadliest holidays. Since so many people travel for Thanksgiving, the chances for a car accident to occur dramatically increase. Given that many workers also have Black Friday off, that means there are five nights where there are more drivers on the road than nearly any point of the year.

It also does not help that the holiday is well known for feasts and football games because both of those activities involve a lot of drinkers. Last year, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported there were 15 deaths, 400 crashes, 116 injuries, 127 arrests for drunk driving and 117 arrests for drug intoxication. What makes these numbers particularly frightening is that they are a slight increase from 2016’s statistics.

Holidays should be the times where you get to spend time with family and friends enjoying the things you love. If you are not careful, this time could also be some of the last moments of your life. If you or a loved one is hurt by a negligent driver during these holidays in Missouri, you should consider seeking legal assistance to get compensation for injuries so that the victim can celebrate Christmas without worrying about medical expenses.

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