Orlando Accident Lawyer Blog

Florida Highway Patrol Warns Holiday Motorists

The Thanksgiving holiday is a five-day peak travel period for motorists nationwide.  In recent years, it has even been ranked as the deadliest holiday for traffic accidents.  The top three most dangerous holidays on the road include, Thanksgiving, Labor Day and Independence Day. 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an average of 550 Americans lose their lives on a holiday each year.  For Floridians, last Thanksgiving proved to be the most dangerous holiday for drivers with 52 fatalities during the five-day holiday break.  Furthermore, half of the deaths were alcohol-related.

Florida officials believe that there will be more people on the road during this particular holiday, and they are driving for longer periods of time.  According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), many of the fatal crashes are related to heavy drinking.

This holiday season the FHP is cracking down on drunken motorists, speeders, and aggressive drivers by deploying all state troopers, even those who typically perform administrative duties, to patrol the roads in order to help reduce the number of fatalities.

Officials want to urge motorists this holiday to be careful and advise drivers to focus on the road.  The FHP’s safety tips include these strategies: leave plenty of time to get to your destination, make sure you do not drink and drive, plan the trip well, get plenty of rest before driving, check the vehicle’s tire pressure and fluids, obey all speed limits and eliminate all distractions like texting or talking on the phone.

For more information, read our article, Thanksgiving is Florida’s Most Dangerous Holiday for Car Accidents, for more information.