UA Study Reveals New Traffic Patterns over Thanksgiving Holiday

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – With the holidays approaching, thousands of Alabamians will soon hit the roads to visit family. Historically, the most dangerous day to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday has been Wednesday. Recent trends have people traveling earlier in the week, but this doesn’t necessarily make the trip any safer.

The University of Alabama CARE Research & Development Laboratory researches crash statistics for the state and found some interesting results related to holiday travel for the last few years.

Typically, the Thanksgiving holiday has been the worst holiday during the year for motorists. In past years, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving had the most number of crashes occurring on Alabama roadways. In the last couple of years, schools have changed holiday schedules, which have allowed families to leave on Monday or Tuesday. This has caused Alabama roadways to have high traffic concentrations on all three days.

In 2003, the three days before Thanksgiving all had a higher number of crashes than a typical Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. The number of crashes was relatively the same on each of these three days, a trend that has been relatively consistent over the past few years. Historically, however, there was a peak in the number of crashes on Wednesday over the Monday and Tuesday of that week.

“By spreading out the traffic patterns over the entire holiday week, there are more crashes earlier in the week,” explained Dr. Allen Parrish, associate professor of computer science and director of the CARE Research & Development Laboratory. “While this has occurred, the total number of crashes over the entire week has remained about the same. This makes Wednesday potentially a little safer than before but makes Monday and Tuesday perhaps more dangerous. So, it is important to be vigilant all week.” “It is much safer to drive on the Interstates than on rural roads. Even though the large, multi-car accidents that back up traffic make it on the evening news, most of the deadliest crashes occur on rural roads,” continued Parrish. During the Thanksgiving week, the total number of crashes is actually lower when compared to the typical work week. The total number of crashes is reduced during the Thanksgiving week because there are a lower number of commercial and commuter travelers on the road on Thursday and Friday.

However, although the number of crashes is lower, there are more fatal crashes during that week. Studies show these fatal crashes can be accounted for primarily by the increased use of alcohol during the holiday weekend.

Christmas and New Year’s traffic patterns tend to be better overall because the holiday is spread during a longer period of time, so no one day has the same high concentration as just before the Thanksgiving holiday. Traveling on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are safer days to be on the road than other days because traffic is relatively light.

For the week between Christmas and New Year’s, many people are out of work and school, so every night is similar to a Friday night. If you factor in the holiday parties, the DUI rate increases dramatically.

According to Parrish, combinations of alcohol and speed crashes are the cause of most of the fatal crashes in Alabama during the holidays. He stated that if you conform to the following list of behaviors, it will almost eliminate the probability of being involved in a fatal crash:

• Never drink and drive, or ride with anyone who has even had a single drink.
• Avoid late-night hours when others who have been drinking are more apt be driving.
• Observe the speed limit, move along with the traffic and keep a safe distance from other vehicles on the roadway.
• Always wear your restraints regardless of how long the trip, and keep the kids properly restrained in the back seat.

UA’s CARE Research & Development Laboratory uses leading edge technologies to offer products and specialized software development services in a variety of areas, particularly traffic safety and law enforcement. The CRDL has designed electronic citation forms for use by law enforcement officers in the state of Alabama and is currently implementing a paperless electronic citation system for commercial truck enforcement in Alabama. Additionally, the CRDL routinely provides a variety of safety studies and planning documents, such as the Crash Facts Books and Highway Safety Plans.