The upcoming holiday weekend is forecast to have more people traveling by car than ever before, which means an increased danger of a serious or fatal car crash.
Officially, Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday in May; however, safety advocates at the AAA Foundation (working with analysts at IHS Markit) consider this year’s Memorial Day holiday as beginning this Thursday and continuing through to midnight on Monday, May 27, 2019.
A record-breaking number of people will be traveling over the 2019 Memorial Day Holiday. Experts at AAA are estimating 42,800,000 travelers, making this the highest travel volume on record for Memorial Day in the past 14 years. Some of this travel will be by air, train, bus, or cruise ship. However, driving somewhere remains the most popular means of transportation for Americans on vacation this year.
According to AAA, 88% of Memorial Day travel will be by motor vehicle. It is expected that 37,600,000 cars will be on the road over this holiday weekend, the most on record.
For more, see the 2019 AAA Memorial Day Holiday Travel Forecast Report.
Traffic Congestion and Roadway Delays As Soon As Wednesday
Some parts of the country will see greater traffic than others. For instance, larger cities and metropolitan areas may have serious traffic issues as soon as early Wednesday afternoon. Travelers are being advised to prepare in advance for the possibility of heavier traffic. Those driving on major roadways may face travel delays that are THREE TIMES longer than normal commutes.
From INRIX transportation analyst Trevor Reed:
“Drivers in the most congested metros should expect much worse conditions than normal. Travelers should anticipate delays to start on Wednesday and continue through Memorial Day. Our advice to drivers is to avoid the morning and evening commuting times or plan alternate routes.”
AAA warns that Chicago will have its worst Memorial Day travel time between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 24, 2019.
National Safety Council Warns Hundreds Will Die in Auto Accidents Over 2019 Holiday Weekend
With all this increased travel on our roads, it is inevitable that the danger of a serious or fatal motor vehicle accident will rise over this holiday weekend.
Illinois’ renowned safety advocates at the National Safety Council estimate that motor vehicle accident fatalities may claim the lives of as many as 420 people over the 2019 Memorial Day holiday period.
The NSC warns that while car travel is extremely popular, it is a form of transportation with the highest fatality rate based on fatalities per passenger mile.
Driving may be preferable for those of us in Indiana and Illinois traveling over this holiday weekend, but the choice to take our car does come with a danger of becoming the victim of a crash.
Contributing Factors to Fatal Car Crash over Memorial Day Holiday
Simply having so many more cars (trucks, SUVs, minivans, pickups, motorcycles, etc.) on the roads this weekend alone is enough to increase the likelihood of a crash. However, there are other factors that will intensify the danger of a serious or fatal accident within the next week. They include:
Drivers Who Are Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs
For many, the Memorial Day holiday heralds the beginning of summer. Celebrations may include alcoholic beverages or drugs which can make the driver a danger to himself or others on the roads. For others, fighting fatigue with either prescription or over-the-counter medications may result in an impaired driver who may cause a crash.
For more, read:
- How Many Drunk Drivers Are There in Indiana and Illinois? The Danger of Drunk Driving Accidents Is High
- Dangers of Drug-Impaired Driving Accidents in Indiana and Illinois.
Failure to Wear Safety Belts
The NSC is concerned that too few occupants of motor vehicles on the roads over the Memorial Day weekend will take the time to buckle up. Pointing to NHTSA research, the NSC explains that seat belts are 45% effective in keeping someone sitting in the front-seat from dying in a motor vehicle accident.
The National Safety Council is forecasting that 148 people will be saved over this holiday weekend because they were wearing their seat belts (as front-seat occupants). The NSC also predicts that 90 people will die in Memorial Day crashes because they failed to wear a safety belt.
Accordingly, the Indiana State Police will be watching to ticket anyone not wearing a seat belt over the Memorial Day holiday weekend as part of the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign.
According to the Indiana State Police, studies show that 53% of Indiana traffic fatalities involve unrestrained motorists. The likelihood of Hoosiers dying in a crash because they failed to buckle up is 10 times greater if they are occupying a car or SUV; 14 times greater if they are riding in a pickup truck, and 15 times higher if they are in a van.
For more on seat belts, read: NHTSA Finds More Than a Third of Children Killed in Crashes Were Not in Car Seats or Wearing Seat Belts.
Justice for Those Involved In a Serious or Fatal Crash during Memorial Day Holiday
Over the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend, please be alert and aware of the dangers you face driving the roads of Indiana and Illinois. Accident injury laws and wrongful death statutes exist to find justice for victims of these tragic accidents.
Of course, having drivers avoiding mistakes caused by things like speeding to make up for a traffic delay or driving drunk is what we all want to happen, instead of a tragedy and its resulting legal claims. Please, let’s be careful out there!
