Safer Thanksgiving Holiday Roadway Travel

By The Cagle Law Firm | November 19, 2025 | Car Accidents, Featured, Personal Injury

Thanksgiving is a great holiday when we celebrate the people in our lives with feasts and celebration.  As well, we celebrate giving thanks for the many things we take for granted. Often, that is our health and safety.  Thus, the tragedy of loss of a family member or life-changing injury due to a car accident is the opposite of celebration of thanks.  Wearing a seat belt, following the rules of the road and driving sober are some behaviors that can greatly reduce your chances of being in a motor vehicle crash.

Thanksgiving Weekend is a Dangerous Roadway Travel Time

The National Safety Council (NSC) predicted in 2022 that approximately 500 people may die from preventable traffic crashes over the 2024 Thanksgiving holiday. There were 502 actual roadway fatalities over the 2024 Thanksgiving holiday.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) data from recent years confirms similar fatality predictions.   Key factors that contribute to increased fatalities include high volume and impaired driving. While nationally, 2025 has seen a slight decline in fatalities in the first half of the year, Missouri is trending to break 2024 roadway fatality record.

Travel Volume. Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest travel times for our nations airports. A record 81.8 million Americans are expected to travel for Thanksgiving 2025. Nearly 90% (73 Million) of those are expected to travel by car.  A higher volume of drivers contributes to increased risks. Due to the uncertainty with air travel in the last few weeks, more people may opt to travel via passenger vehicle.

Impaired Driving:  Alcohol management is a significant challenge over holiday weekends. About 35 percent of traffic fatalities during the Thanksgiving weekend involved an alcohol-impaired driver between 2019-2023.  The phrase “alcohol management” is key here.  It’s a holiday, folks are celebrating–manage your alcohol responsibly.  Make plans to have a sober driver or utilize rideshare options. As well, if you live in the greater metro area, the Metro train may be helpful to you and friends navigating holiday get togethers and celebrations. Simply, make a plan.

Thanksgiving and Independence Day are the most dangerous driving holidays in the United States.  Fatigued, impaired, distracted and careless driving all contribute to the spikes during holiday travel weekends. Again, Missouri has seen a higher than normal fatalities and experts agree that failure to wear a seat belt contributes to preventable deaths.

82 Million Traveling Over Thanksgiving Weekend

Concerns over flight cancellations could mean that some air travelers change their plans to road trips.  AAA projects that 81.8 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Thanksgiving weekend which beings Tuesday, November 25 and lasts until Monday, December 1, 2025.  This year’s domestic travel forecast includes an additional 1.5 million travelers compared to last Thanksgiving, setting a new overall record.

Peak Roadway Travel Times to Consider

• Tuesday, November 25- worst travel time, Noon to 9 p.m., best to travel prior to Noon
• Wednesday, November 26, worst travel time, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., best to travel before 11 a.m.
• Thursday, November 27-miminal traffic impact expected
• Friday, November 28, 2025-, worst travel time is 1p.m-7 p.m., best travel time is before 11 a.m.
• Saturday, November 29, 2025, worst travel time is 1 p.m.-8 p.m., best travel time is before 10 a.m.
• Sunday, November 30, 2025, worst travel time is 11 a.m.-8 p.m., best travel time is before 11 a.m.
• Monday, December 1, 2025, worst travel time is Noon to 8 p.m., best travel time is after 8 p.m.

When planning your road trip, it is good to know past data regarding peak travel times.  It is expected that Tuesday and Wednesday to be the most congested periods before Thanksgiving Day. Sunday is the busiest travel day after Thanksgiving.  Drivers should hit the road in the morning to avoid the worst back ups, but keep construction, crashes, and severe weather could impact your travel.  All safety organizations recommend SLOW DOWN, MOVE OVER to consider other drivers, emergency responders and stopped vehicles on the roadway.

Two safety rules greatly improve your successful roadway travel. Wearing a seat belt and using caution on the roadway.

SLOW DOWN, MOVE OVER.

“Slow down, move over” is a safety law that requires drivers to either slow down or move to a non-adjacent lane (if safe to do so) when they see a stationary emergency or service vehicle with flashing lights on the side of the road.  The law is designed to protect law enforcement and roadside workers including tow truck drivers.  In the first three quarters of 2025, the Missouri Department of Transportation reported four fatalities in work zone crashes.  Additionally, in 2024, it’s protective vehicles were struck 35 times while guarding crews. In the third quarter of 2025, five employees involved in protective vehicle crashes south medical attention.

Buckle Up

Wearing a seat belt is simply the easiest way for vehicle occupants to protect themselves in the event of a crash.  Missourians continue to fall below the national average when it comes to seat belt usage and it shows.  Currently in the third quarter of 2025, we have a 88.5 % seat belt usage rate with a national average of 91.2 %.  When we look at MSHP fatality data, we see that of 533 fatalities, 278 of those killed were not wearing seat belts.  A seat belt does NOT prevent every death. It does increase your chances of surviving by 50% and even more if you are in a SUV, pick up or back seat passenger.

Every life is important for many reasons, but especially to that person’s family and friends.  Loss of a loved one is devastating. When it is a preventable death, it is tragic.  We can greatly reduce preventable motor vehicle fatalities by wearing a seat belt.

If a Motor Vehicle Crash Occurs

Take safety steps while planning your Thanksgiving road travel weekend. If you are operating a motor vehicle, you should always be prepared to know what you will do if you are in an accident.  Daily, we talk to folks who say, “I never thought I would be in a crash”.  No, crashes are never expected or they could absolutely be avoided.  Yet, the Insurance Information Institute and other insurance industry sources indicate that the average driver is involved in 3-4 car accidents in their lifetime.  Those numbers include very minor crashes like door-dings at the grocery store to serious collisions.  When we know that sooner or later, we may be involved in crash, it is good to know what to do and have a plan.

Having a Plan Greatly Reduces Anxiety at a Crash| Steps to Know:

• Call 911-immediately alert authorities. Call 911 so that police can respond and help control traffic around your crash.  Just as important, reporting the crash is something you need to do for insurance.  If you believe it is the other driver’s fault–you definitely need to call the police so an incident report is generated.  Other drivers have a tendency to change their stories after the scene of the crash when the weight of damages set it.  Involvement of an officer documenting the crash will be very important if you are injured
• Seek Medical Treatment. If you are hurt, get to the doctor.  Many times people refuse an ambulance because they thing it will be an obscene amount of charges.  If you are in the greater metro area, traveling across town, it is not really crazy.  When you are transported via air on a helicopter, it is expensive.  However, if you are that seriously injured, you will not be making decisions to decline.   Take the ambulance and let them tow your car.
• If you are not severely injured at the scene, exchange information with the other driver and get their insurance information, photo of their driver’s license.  As well, take photos of the vehicles at the scene of the crash (if it is safe to do so).  Give statements of facts to the office rather than statements about your feelings or what you “think” happened.  That statement can sound cold but an officer can better expedite the process if you simply give statements of facts–things you saw and experienced.
• Call an attorney.  As soon as you get safely away from the scene and BEFORE you start calling insurance companies, call a lawyer that specializes in car accidents.  We offer free consultations daily.  Most often folks want to know what to do in the first few minutes, hours, days and weeks after a crash.  Every person wants to know the mistakes to avoid.

We are available seven days a week. Call us toll free 1.800.685.3302 or locally 314.276.1681

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