With a slew of holidays quickly approaching, many drivers will be clogging the roadways causing an increase in traffic accidents.
Drivers urged to take extra caution while traveling during holidays
Jenny Sharron
PEORIA, Il. – As the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are quickly approaching, more drivers will be taking to the roads. Illinois Department of Transportation data shows that the Thanksgiving holiday is the second most dangerous to travel.
Over the last five years, Thanksgiving holiday travel has averaged 3,361 accidents a year accounting for 21 percent of all holiday accidents.
Although Thanksgiving is the second most dangerous to Christmas, Thanksgiving holiday travel has a higher average of fatalities within those crashes. On average, Christmas only claim .28 percent of crash victims where Thanksgiving claims .37 percent of lives.
In an attempt to make the roads safer and to help eliminate any unnecessary traffic congestion, IDOT is taking some precautions of its own.
“With the heavy traffic anticipated for the holiday weekend, IDOT will suspend all non-emergency road work on state roadways, where possible, to improve traffic flow and help ensure a smooth commute,” said Paris Ervin on behalf of Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann L. Schneider. “Motorists are encouraged to buckle up in every seating position, obey the posted speed limit and drive sober.”
In a press release from IDOT, officials have compiled a listing of all construction zones that will be suspended. To find out if you will be driving through any suspended construction zones, click here.
The holidays are not the only time that traffic congestion and accidents are high.
“As a truck driver I saw a lot of accidents as I drove down the highways,” said Tim Svihlik, retried semi driver. “I also saw a lot of idiot kids, and even adults, trying to multitask while driving. Since my semi sits so high up, it wasn’t uncommon for me to see people texting or putting on make up while driving down the road.”
Svihlik also noted that another issue is that people always seem to be in a hurry. He believes that drivers should allow for extra travel time during the holiday season and also drive at safe following distances.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taken a load on a holiday and driven past an accident where it was a rear-ending or a car crushed under the trailer of a hauler,” Svihlik said. “The holidays should be a time of family gathering around a meal, not a casket.”
Ervin urges drivers to obey the posted speed limits, especially in unmanned construction zones, and to buckle up as part of the Click it or Ticket campaign. An increase of authorities on the road is expected in hopes of catching any distracted drivers before an accident happens.