The most dangerous roads during Thanksgiving

On November 26, 2024By Pranco

(Stacker) – More than last year 49 million Americans head out for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, according to the National Security Councilit is one of the most dangerous driving holidays in the United States.‍

Using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, researchers from TruckInfo.net discovered some concerning trends for Thanksgiving travelers.‍

#1: Drunk driving is a big problem during Thanksgiving

Even though Uber and Lyft are helping to reduce alcohol-related traffic fatalities by 6.1%drunk driving remains a problem on Thanksgiving, likely because most drivers spend time with their families during the holiday.

#2: Progress stalled in 2011 and fatalities increased

While fatalities dropped significantly between 2005 and 2011, progress has stalled and gone in the opposite direction, with fatalities up nearly 38% from a 20-year low.

#3: Some of the most dangerous roads are outside populated urban areas

While it’s not surprising that urban areas with large populations also have the highest traffic fatalities during the holidays, four of the 10 most dangerous roads in the country are in counties with fewer than half a million residents.

From 2003 to 2022, the following roads had the most fatalities during the Thanksgiving holiday:

I-15 in San Bernardino County, CA: 11 (population: 2.19 million)
SR-85 in Okaloosa County, FL: 10 (population: 216k)
I-15 in Riverside County, California: 10 (population: 2.47 million)
I-10 in Maricopa County, Arizona: 10 (population: 4.56 million)
I-5 in Los Angeles County, CA: 10 (population: 9.72 million)
I-605 in Los Angeles County, CA: 10 (population: 9.72 million)
I-10 in Ascension Parish, LA: 9 (population: 130k)
SR-91 in Indian River County, Florida: 9 (population: 167k)
I-8 in Imperial County County, CA: 9 (population: 179k)
US-1 in Brevard County, Florida: 9 (population: 631k)

#4: West Virginia and Mississippi have the most fatalities per capita by a wide margin

While major states like California, Texas and Florida have the highest number of traffic fatalities during Thanksgiving, West Virginia and Mississippi have the most fatalities per capita by a wide margin – both nearly 50% more than the next state.

Methodology

Fatal accident statistics are from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and population data are from the U.S. Census Bureau. The Thanksgiving holiday period was defined as the Wednesday before Thanksgiving through the Sunday after. Unless otherwise stated, all fatality statistics are the sum of total fatalities between 2003 and 2022 (the most recent data available) and population data are from 2022.

This story was produced by TruckInfo.net and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.