Chicago Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Airfares are reportedly up 10 to 20 percent from a year ago which is causing holiday travelers to opt for traveling by car this holiday rather than by plane. The price of gas has also increased by roughly 50 cents since last year but traveling by automobile is still more affordable for families overall.

Our Cook County car accident lawyers understand that Thanksgiving is a holiday meant for family traditions so traveling safely is more important than ever if you want to spend time with loved ones this holiday season.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Thursday is anticipated to be the busiest travel day on roadways nationwide according to a news release from American Automobile Association (AAA). Illinois motorists should use caution all weekend but expect delays and travel hindrances on the holiday to avoid a car accident in Chicago or throughout the state. Throughout the weekend many motorists will be traveling to family dinners, holiday parades or Black Friday sales events so traffic congestion will be heightened and make roadways much more dangerous. In fact, it is expected that 2 million people will be using Illinois roadways this holiday weekend which is an increase from last year.

With all these roadway users traveling at the same time, safety is a concern. The National Safety Council computes an estimated number of deaths for holiday travel periods. This year, the organization predicts 434 deaths and more than 43,000 medically attended injuries from traffic accidents during the period of Wednesday, November 23 at 6:00 p.m. to Sunday, November 27 at 11:59 p.m. The average number of actual traffic deaths caused by roadway accidents reported during the Thanksgiving holiday periods between 2004 to 2009 was 535.

In effort to encourage safe travel, the Illinois Department of Transportation and law enforcement agencies throughout Illinois will be cracking down on traffic violators all weekend. Last year, Illinois reported 15 traffic deaths during Thanksgiving. Nine of these fatalities involved a driver who was intoxicated at the time of the accident. There were also more than 740 injuries from Illinois traffic collisions during Thanksgiving last year which could have been avoided with smarter choices made by drivers.

This year, roadside safety checks and enforcement zones will be strategically located throughout the state to keep drunk drivers, speeders and motorists who fail to wear a seat belt from breaking the law during Thanksgiving weekend. Illinois motorists could potentially find as many as 1,700 safety belt enforcement areas and 40 roadside safety checks being conducted by more than 200 law enforcement agencies throughout the state.

The coordinated effort has one goal. State officials hope to curb unsafe driving behavior by keeping drunk and distracted drivers off roadways and lowering traffic fatalities overall. Motorists are encouraged to make smart choices by not drinking and driving, speeding or becoming distracted to avoid a traffic citation or worse, a serious car accident this Thanksgiving.