Holiday driving and traveling is stressful. In Delaware and across the nation, people take to the state roads to see friends and family. Often, they travel great distances. This adds to the danger of auto accidents. Researchers track trends of how often crashes occur and their likely cause.
According to a ValuePenguin study about holiday crashes, some states are worse than others in terms of safety. Despite Delaware being one of the smallest states in the union, it has a disproportionate increase in accidents over the holidays. People need to consider this when they take to the roads in any capacity and know how to address the problems they may face in the aftermath.
Delaware has a 71.4% increase in auto accidents over the holidays
In the study, researchers analyzed five major holidays including:
- Christmas
- Thanksgiving
- Labor Day
- Independence Day
- Memorial Day
There are more people on the road during these holidays. With greater volume, there is a higher possibility of an accident. The study looked at the numbers for 2018 to 2022. Nationally, an average of 123 people were killed in an auto crash on holidays. When it was not a holiday, there was an average of 108 road deaths every day. This is a significant increase.
Delaware has the highest spike at 71.4%. It was just slightly ahead of the District of Columbia which came in at 66.7%. Connecticut was third at 58.8%. Alcohol impairment is frequently a factor in holiday auto crashes with 38%. At other times, it is just under 30%. Speeding was cited in just over 31%. Distracted driving was calculated at 7.4%.
As Thanksgiving approaches, it is important for people to know that this was the worst time for pedestrians. More than 1,800 pedestrians were killed between 2018 and 2022. This accounted for almost 17% of road deaths.
Delaware is sixth in the nation for the most dangerous state for driving on holidays. This is based on the population and how many fatal accidents there were. Larger, more populous states like Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee had far more fatalities, but when calculating how many occurred based on 100,000 residents in the states, Delaware had a higher frequency.
Those impacted by an auto accident need to know their options
It is imperative to address the inevitable challenges that come about after an auto accident. They are unexpected and cause inordinate problems physically, emotionally, personally and financially.
For example, medical expenses can be enormous placing a family in dire straits wondering how they will pay for care. Lost income and the need for long-term care are other challenges. If there is a fatality, it is even worse.
Knowing the steps to make sure those who caused the crash are held accountable is key. It is also critical to have guidance when dealing with insurance companies. From the start, it is wise to have advice on how to proceed. This can help with gathering evidence, calculating the costs and moving forward.
