For Indiana, Illinois, and the rest of our country, the official Memorial Day Holiday Weekend begins this year on Friday, May 28th at six o’clock in the evening and continues through to the stroke of midnight on Monday, May 31, 2021. Traditionally, Memorial Day is a longstanding national observation dedicated to honoring those men and women who have perished while serving in the United States Military, with special commemoration to those who died while in battle or from wounds sustained in battle.
However, for many Americans Memorial Day has another meaning: it heralds the beginning of summer. Families traditionally plan holiday parties and small vacation trips to welcome the summer season on this long weekend. In fact, the Memorial Day Weekend is known as one of the highest road traffic volume time periods in this country, with millions taking to the roads each year.
Memorial Day itself has also earned a reputation for being one of the deadliest holidays in the nation, ranking as the Second Deadliest Holiday to Drive (surpassed only by the Fourth of July).
Meanwhile, the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend is recognized as being the Deadliest Holiday Weekend for Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents in this country, according to a 2021 analysis of Fatality Analysis Reporting System data.
AAA Warns 60% More Travelers on the Roads Over 2021 Memorial Day Holiday Weekend
According to AAA Travel, in a news release issued May 11, 2021, it is predicted that over 37,000,000 people will take a road trip over the 2021 Memorial Day Weekend where they drive at least 50 miles away from home.
From AAA Travel senior vice president Paula Twidale: (emphasis added)
“As more people get the COVID-19 vaccine and consumer confidence grows, Americans are demonstrating a strong desire to travel this Memorial Day. This pent-up demand will result in a significant increase in Memorial Day travel, which is a strong indicator for summer, though we must all remember to continue taking important safety precautions.”
The forecast was made with a consideration that COVID-19 may impact the actual numbers with some taking note of “… the strong progress in vaccinations and make last-minute decisions to travel.”
May 2021: CDC Announces End of COVID-19 Mask Wearing; End of Indiana and Illinois Mandates
However, the AAA prediction was issued on May 11, 2021, before the surprising-to-some announcement on May 13, 2021 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that anyone who has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 “… can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing.”
Read, “Fully vaccinated Americans can return to life without masks, CDC says; The update marks a sweeping change in CDC guidance for vaccinated America,” written by Cheyenne Haslett and Anne Flaherty and published by ABCNews on May 13, 2021.
- Illinois. In response, the new CDC Mask Guideline has been implemented in the State of Illinois by Governor JB Pritzker with no more masks being mandated in Illinois as of May 17, 2021.
- Indiana. Governor Eric Holcomb announced the end of Indiana’s Mask Mandate before the CDC Announcement. As of April 2021, Hoosiers were not legally mandated to wear COVID-19 masks.
Given the AAA’s concerns prior to the CDC’s announcement, coupled with the newly found freedom from masks here in our part of the country – particularly Illinois – it is likely that even more families in Indiana and Illinois than those forecast by AAA researchers may be considering taking advantage of the upcoming three-day weekend to get out on the open road for a short vacation trip.
How Many Deadly Crashes Over Memorial Day 2021?
Driving is dangerous and potentially deadly under any conditions. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), traveling via motor vehicle has the highest fatality rate of any major form of transportation in this country.
However, with the upcoming three-day weekend being the first holiday weekend since the Coronavirus Pandemic began that many of us in Illinois and Indiana will be able to enjoy festivities mask-free, the temptation to drive over the 2021 Memorial Day Weekend may be greater than ever before. With that temptation will come a perhaps unprecedented risk of a catastrophic or fatal motor vehicle accident over the Memorial Day Weekend.
Before the CDC Announcement, AAA was predicting that road trips would double on the 2021 Memorial Day Weekend, as compared to the year before. Increasing gas prices are not seen to be a factor in keeping people at home, either.
This may mean Memorial Day Weekend 2021 will have record-breaking numbers of travelers on our roads this year. With this, of course, comes the possibility that we will see record-breaking numbers of serious and deadly motor vehicle accidents.
Who Faces the Greatest Risk of Fatal Crash Over Memorial Day Weekend?
An obvious risk will be those driving though the most traffic congestion over the Holiday Weekend, which AAA warns will be between noon and six o’clock in the evening on Friday and on Monday. Noon on Saturday and Sunday is also a high-commute time for Memorial Day drivers. Studies have shown a correlation between traffic congestion and vehicular accidents. See, Road Infrastructure, Traffic Congestion, and Fatal Accidents in Indiana and Illinois.
Other known risks recognized to cause the greatest number of deaths in accidents over the Memorial Day weekend include (1) impaired driving and (2) failing to wear a safety belt. Drivers who operate a motor vehicle when they are tired or fatigued will also pose a risk to themselves and others on the roads.
For more on impaired driving, read:
- How Many Drunk Drivers Are There in Indiana and Illinois? The Danger of Drunk Driving Accidents Is High
- Drugged Drivers Cause More Fatal Crashes in Indiana than Drunk Drivers: New Indiana University Study
For more on seat belts and fatal accidents, read:
- NHTSA Finds More Than a Third of Children Killed in Crashes Were Not in Car Seats or Wearing Seat Belts
- Greatest Dangers for Deadly Traffic Accident in Illinois and Indiana According to 2020 Roadmap Report
For more on drowsy driving or driving while tired or fatigued, read:
- Daylight Saving Time Fatal Accidents: Sleep Deprivation and Deadly Injuries in Indiana and Illinois
- Drowsy Driving and the Risk of Fatal Traffic Accidents in Indiana and Illinois
- Fatigued, Tired Drivers Said to Cause 20% of All U.S. Traffic Deaths: Drowsy Drivers at Fault?
The upcoming holiday weekend and the start of summer is an exciting time for those of us who live and work in Indiana and Illinois, especially as the COVID mask mandates are ending in our part of the country. Sadly, there will be preventable accidents over Memorial Day with deadly, tragic consequences and some of these will be due to tired drivers, drunk drivers, or others who have failed in their duty of care.
Please make your travel plans with an awareness of the dangers facing us driving on roadways over the Memorial Day Weekend. Please be careful out there!
