Thanksgiving Holiday Travel Fatality Estimate

As car accident injury lawyers in Kansas City, we have represented numerous people injured in automobile accidents. As we hope to minimize the amount of car accident injuries this holiday season, we are posting the following article regarding the Thanksgiving Day Holiday Traffic Fatality Estimate. Thanksgiving weekend travel – that’s the Wednesday before the holiday to the Monday after – is some of the busiest of the year.

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day Holiday Period Estimate for 2020

The National Safety Council (NSC) estimates 485 people may die on U.S. roads this Thanksgiving holiday period. Holidays traditionally are a time of travel for families across the United States. Many choose car travel, which has the highest fatality rate of any major form of transportation based on fatalities per passenger mile. Holidays are also often cause for celebrations involving alcohol consumption, a major contributing factor to motor-vehicle crashes. Thanksgiving Day is observed on the fourth Thursday in November. The holiday is always a 4.25-day weekend consisting of Wednesday evening, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In 2020 the Thanksgiving Day weekend extends from 6 p.m. Wednesday, November 25, to 11:59 p.m. Sunday, November 29.

National Safety Council Estimate

There is uncertainty associated with any estimate. The 90% confidence interval for the estimate of traffic deaths this holiday is 380 to 599. This confidence interval cannot account for the unknown impact COVID-19 social distancing practices will have on holiday travel. Because of the unprecedented impact COVID-19 is having on social activities, the uncertainty of this year’s estimate is increased. This chart shows NSC Thanksgiving Day holiday fatality estimates and confidence intervals compared to the actual number of deaths. Because of the variability in travel habits this year resulting from COVID-19 the confidence interval is wider than in previous years, indicating less precision in this year’s estimate.

Injuries

A medically consulted injury is an injury serious enough that a medical professional was consulted. Based on the current medically consulted injury to death ratio of 114:1 and rounded to the nearest hundred, the estimate of nonfatal medically consulted injuries that will result from crashes during the holiday period is 55,300, with a 90% confidence interval of 43,300 to 68,300.

Lives saved with seat belts

Studies show seat belts, when used, are 45% effective in preventing fatalities among front-seat passenger car occupants (see note below for more detail). An estimated 192 lives may be saved this Thanksgiving holiday period because vehicle occupants wear their seat belts. An additional 113 lives could be saved if everyone wears seat belts.

Impaired Driving

Nationwide, alcohol-impaired fatalities (involving blood-alcohol content of 0.08 g/dL or higher) in 2018 represented 29% of the total traffic fatalities. During the Thanksgiving Day period, 31% of fatalities involved an alcohol-impaired driver. This chart shows the historic trend of the percent of fatalities involving an alcohol-impaired driver.

If you or a loved one have suffered accident injuries in a car accident call Northland Injury Law at 816-400-4878 to speak to a Missouri automobile accident lawyer today for help in recovering the compensation you need. An experienced personal injury attorney can ease some of the burden by engaging in fact-finding, gathering the necessary documentation, and crafting concise and thorough demands for settlement of your claim.