If you’re planning to hit the highway, expressway or city streets by car during Thanksgiving week, you’ll have plenty of company. More than 53 million Americans are expected to travel during the November holiday, according to AAA’s 2021 Thanksgiving Holiday Travel Forecast.
Numerous organizations are offering encouragement and tips to drive safely. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), which found a slight decrease in seat-belt usage this year, will promote a “Click It or Ticket” campaign. More than half of all traffic fatalities involve someone not wearing a seat belt, according to IDOT.
Roadways More Dangerous
Roadways have become more dangerous, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). The NSC estimates more than 21,400 people may have died on the roads during the first six months of 2021, a 16 percent increase from the previous year.
Their estimates show that more than 500 people could die on U.S. roads during this year’s Thanksgiving holiday, which begins Wednesday, Nov. 23, at 6 p.m. and concludes Sunday, Nov. 28 at 11:59 p.m. It’s the highest projection of roadway deaths during Thanksgiving since 2007.
The NSC urges the driving public to do their part: “Prepare before traveling, buckle up, slow down, put phones away and drive unimpaired. It can make all the difference.” For more tips, visit https://www.nsc.org/saferoads.
MADD Continues Its Plea
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is continuing its decades-long plea, urging the public not to drive while inebriated this holiday season. Instead, MADD is asking the public to “Tie One On for Safety.” The name comes from “tie one on,” which is slang for drinking alcohol, but MADD uses the phrase to remind everyone that drinking and driving don’t mix.
At a news conference hosted by MADD Mid-Atlantic, the organization implored the public to pick a designated driver during the holidays.
With these and other public reminders, why shouldn’t this holiday be safer? Let’s all pull together and make it happen.
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