Labor Day Safety Advice

Did you know that Labor Day is one of the most dangerous days to be on the road? It is second only to Memorial Day. On average, traffic deaths spike 37% on Labor Day weekend. In fact, for the most recent data year (2019), 433 people were killed on Labor Day weekend and thousands more were injured. So here are a few simple steps you can take to stay safe this holiday weekend.

One of the reasons Labor Day weekend has more car accidents is because more people are on the road. The weather is still nice so folks are headed to the lake, the river or the mountains. The college football season gets underway in earnest and people are headed to games. People are driving to cookouts and parties, etc. For a lot of people, all these activities include alcohol either at a tailgate, on the boat or a cookout. As a result, there are more alcohol-related accidents on Labor Day weekend. In fact, on average 45% of all fatalities involved alcohol. So let’s review some steps you can take to stay safer this holiday weekend.

Leave yourself plenty of time to get to your destination. There will be more congestion on the roads, which makes speeding even more dangerous. If you are feeling rushed, you are more likely to take risks while driving i.e., running red lights, tailgating the car in front of you, dangerous lane changes, etc.
Be especially vigilant at night. Forty-six percent of traffic accidents will happen from noon to 8:00 p.m, and 35% will occur from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
Do not drive if you are impaired. Alcohol-related accidents spike on Labor Day. For this reason, law enforcement typically has more sobriety check-points. Therefore, even if you do not cause an accident, you almost certainly are going to jail if you are caught driving impaired.
Wear your seatbelt and make sure your passengers wear theirs. If you are involved in an accident, it may be the difference between minor injuries and serious injuries or death.
Do not drive distracted. Eating, applying make-up, changing your playlist – all of these things take a driver’s attention away from the road. Pull over or ask a passenger to help.
Make sure your vehicle is in good working condition before leaving. Check tire pressure and tread, load your car so that the weight is distributed evenly, make sure lights are working properly, etc.
Slow down. Speeding continues to be one of the biggest contributing factors in accidents. And if you have an accident while speeding, the severity of the crash is almost certainly going to be worse.

We hope everyone has a safe and fun Labor Day weekend. As always, if you need us, we will be here. Just give us a call at one of our offices below and we will be happy to help if we can. Our award-winning attorneys handle all accident cases on a contingency basis so we only get paid if we recover money for you and your family. And, unlike some injury lawyers, we advance all case expenses, interest-free, so you do not have to pay anything out of pocket to pursue your case.

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