Drunk driving is a major cause of motor vehicle accidents. When a collision occurs due to intoxicated driving, a New York City personal injury lawyer should be consulted to hold the intoxicated motorist accountable for his actions.
Motorists are always at risk of being hurt or killed by a driver who has had too much to drink or by a driver who has used drugs before getting behind the wheel. However, there are certain times of year which are much more dangerous than others. The recent holiday season was among the most dangerous times on the road, but there are also a few more high-risk days coming up soon.
High-Risk Holidays for Drunk Driving
Recently, CBS News reported on the most dangerous times on the road for drivers due to an increased risk that motorists will be impaired while driving.
New Years and Christmas were both high risk days for auto accidents, although not the riskiest of days. Between 2011 and 2015, there were 245 fatal accidents per year on average over New Year’s weekend. During that same time period, there were an average of 231 fatalities per year during Christmas weekends. While this was a lower death rate than for other holiday weekends, it still reflects a spike in fatalities compared with a normal weekend when no holiday occurs.
CBS indicates that New Years and Christmas have become safer in recent years compared with in the past likely because more people are aware of the dangers of drunk driving and are taking those risks seriously. However, even though there are fewer people driving drunk than in decades past, there is still an increase in driver intoxication over the winter holidays.
The data also showed that many of the summer holidays were especially high risk times, so motorists should be aware of the dangerous days that are coming up. Memorial Day, Labor Day and Fourth of July are all high-risk holidays for traffic crashes. Over Memorial Day weekend alone, there were 312 fatal car accidents per year on average from 2011 to 2015. Drivers were four times as likely to die in an auto accident while driving on Memorial Day weekend compared with the average three-day weekend, according to research into collision risks.
Labor Day weekend also saw an average of 308 fatalities per year, while the Fourth of July saw 307 deaths in auto accidents. While Memorial Day was the most dangerous weekend, the Fourth of July was the single most dangerous day for collisions.
Drunk driving is one big contributing factor to this problem, but there are also other issues on the holidays as well, including an increase in the total number of people traveling on the roads. With more people out on the roads, and more people drunk, the chances of a catastrophe significantly increase.
If an accident happens, during the holidays or any other time, motorists need to make sure to get the proper legal help to fight for fair compensation from the driver who hurt them. A New York City personal injury lawyer can help victims to take action and pursue a claim for compensation after a crash has occurred.