Tips For A Safe Holiday Road Trip

When you are a child, you look forward to the winter holidays with unbridled enthusiasm.  All you can think about is your Christmas stocking and the endless parade of sweets.  Once you grow up, the annoyances and dangers of the holiday season become more obvious to you.  Holiday travel, in particular, seems like an annoyance.  Once you reach your destination and can safely pour some adult eggnog, you will feel a great sense of relief, but to get to that point, you must brave the foggy windshields, salt-spattered roads, and rude drivers that separate you from the house where your family will gather for the Christmas holiday.  It is not just your imagination that it seems like the holidays are an especially dangerous time to drive.  There are more accidents between Thanksgiving and New Year’s than during any other period of time of similar length during the year.  There are more cars on the road, and the drivers are tired, stressed, drunk, or some combination thereof.  If you have been injured in a car accident during a winter holiday road trip, contact a Columbia car accident lawyer.

Build the Unexpected Into Your Timeline

Being in a hurry increases your risk of a collision, whether you are just driving to the corner store or doing an interstate road trip.  If given the opportunity, you will speed if you feel that you are going to be late.  Even worse, when you want to increase your speed to make up for lost time, but you can’t because of heavy traffic, you get frustrated and drive more aggressively than you normally would.

Prepare to Get Stranded in a Snowstorm

Heavy snowfall can happen in South Carolina, and local officials are less well equipped to deal with snow, even if it is only a few flakes, than the authorities in more northern climates that get blizzards every year.  When you set out on a holiday road trip, prepare as if you will be stranded in the snow for a day or more.  Make sure your devices are fully charged before you leave home, and bring enough food and water to last 48 hours.

Make Sure Your Car Is Up to the Challenge of Handling Snow and Ice

Car malfunctions contribute to many collisions, especially in heavy traffic.  Well maintained tires can help you stop your car from sliding on the ice.  You should check whether you need to rotate or replace your tires before you begin your holiday travel.

Avoid the Holiday Party Rush

Drunk driving peaks during the holidays, but some times during the holiday season are worse than others.  If possible, plan your holiday road trips so that you are not driving through major urban areas in the evenings.  This way you miss out on the crowds leaving employer-sponsored holiday parties, after which drivers are at their worst.

Let Us Help You Today

The personal injury lawyers at the Stanley Law Group can help you pursue a complaint related to a car accident related to a road trip.  Contact The Stanley Law Group in Columbia, South Carolina or call (803)799-4700 for a free initial consultation.

Sources:

dhs.gov/employee-resources/news/2021/11/30/holiday-road-safety-tips