Survey Says Thanksgiving Is The Deadliest Holiday For Driving

A new study from the online driver's education platform Zutobi says Thanksgiving is the deadliest U.S. holiday in terms of fatal car accidents.

You can see the report here. The study said 2,448 deaths have been recorded on U.S. roads and highways over the last five years. That was just 10 more fatalities than the second deadliest American holiday, which was Labor Day.

Independence Day,  Memorial Day, and Christmas Day rounded out the list of the five deadliest holidays.

Not surprisingly, impaired driving and speeding were the biggest causes of fatal crashes on Thanksgiving over a five year period ending in 2021:

To avoid becoming a statistic if you are hitting the highway over the Thanksgiving holiday, Zutobi offers the following tips:

1. Prepare your vehicle before hitting the road by checking tire pressure, brakes, and fluid levels.
2. Minimize distractions by keeping your focus solely on the road and avoiding activities such as texting or eating while driving.
3. Get adequate rest before embarking on long drives to combat driver fatigue and ensure alertness behind the wheel.

While the Zutobi survey didn't mention it, common sense would also dictate that if you are hitting the road in Wyoming or the Rocky Mountain region over the Thanksgiving holiday, preparing yourself for winter driving conditions is also a very good idea.

You can access the latest forecasts, including those for Cheyenne and Laramie, from the Cheyenne Office of the National Weather Service here. The Wyoming Department of Transportation report on road conditions is available here. You can also access the latest travel conditions report for Wyoming with the Wyoming 511 mobile app.