Alabamians need to be especially careful driving to and from their Thanksgiving destinations, according to a new report by ASecureLife.com.
The report, which was compiled by experts analyzing road safety and traffic fatality data, showed Alabama was the seventh most dangerous state in the nation for Thanksgiving travel.
On United States roads, Thanksgiving weekend is not only the busiest time of year, it is also among the most fatal. The National Safety Council predicts a total of 433 traffic deaths will occur in America from Wednesday to Monday.
Alabama, unfortunately, is projected to be a part of this problem. November traffic fatalities in the Yellowhammer State reached 62 in 2016 and 65 in 2015.
While seven out of the ten deadliest states for Thanksgiving travel have a “D” or “F” road safety policy grade from the National Safety Council, Alabama scored a “C’ rating, coming in right in the middle of the pack as the nation’s 25th best.
This rating takes into account the state’s regulation of speed limits, alcohol impaired driving, child passengers, teen driving, distracted driving and more.
With these categories not directly reflecting Alabama’s lowly travel safety ranking, this would suggest that the roadways themselves largely contribute to Alabama’s spot in the “deadliest states.”
Governor Kay Ivey and leaders in the Alabama Legislature have made it clear that improving the state’s infrastructure, roadways included, is near or at the top of their priority list for the 2019 legislative session.
ASecureLife.com wrote, “Our research found that Alabama’s roads are among the most dangerous in the country, especially during the holidays.”
In an email, Andrea Harvey with ASecureLife.com told Yellowhammer News how Alabamians can best stay safe while traveling this Thanksgiving.
“The best advice I can give to anyone driving through Alabama this weekend is to wear your seat belt, and be extra cautious of other drivers around you,” Harvey said.
She continued, “The percentage of fatal car crashes involving drunk drivers goes up significantly during the Thanksgiving weekend. And if you are hit by a drunk driver, proper seat belt use could very well determine whether you live or die.”
Harvey also “found it surprising that while most crashes occurred on city streets, the fatal ones occurred mostly in rural areas.”
“More than half of them occurred at night and nearly half of the people who died were not wearing seat belts. To me, those statistics speak for themselves in terms of how to stay safe this weekend,” Harvey added.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
