As we all know Thanksgiving is one of the most stressful times of year to travel but most people do! With more cars on the road it is a dangerous time to be driving. Here are some tips and tricks to make your Thanksgiving drive more fun and less hassle.

Traffic can choke heavily traveled routes, like the I-95 corridor on the East Coast, adding hours to generally speedy trips. Follow the same best practices for road travel, including avoiding the highways on the Wednesday before turkey day and the following Sunday.

Plan your route ahead of time and travel with a GPS system, smart phone or old-school maps to offer alternatives if you need a Plan B. And to avoid unnecessary delays, bring along an E-ZPass or change for the tolls, as well as plenty of snacks, and be sure to fill up on gas before you hit the road. Also brush up on tips to handle hazardous road conditions during icy or stormy weather.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, particularly from noon through the evening, is one such high-risk time due to people heading out on their trip. Coming home, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is also one of the biggest high-risk days. Plan to be on the road in the mornings.

Unlike other holidays – like Memorial Day, New Year’s Day and the Fourth of July — when fatalities are more likely caused by drivers being alcohol impaired — Thanksgiving Day crashes and fatalities have more to do with the high number of cars on the road and longer distances driven.

According to a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, while 42% of driving fatalities on Memorial Day were linked to drunk driving, only 34% of driving fatalities on Thanksgiving Day were blamed on alcohol impaired drivers.

Whether you’re traveling alone or with others, your car will likely be crammed with overnight bags and, if you’re a good guest, gifts, plus your homemade casserole and a bottle of wine.
Besides being uncomfortable for passengers, all of those extras can become dangerous projectiles in the event of an accident. In the event of hard braking, they could pose a serious threat to your clothes. (That casserole won’t look cute on your new fall coat.) The safest spot is always in the trunk (not the people and pets of course.) Even if it is in the trunk, make sure you strap it down securely because there are some cars where things could come through the back seat pass-through.

It’s the same for Fido. Secure the pet in some kind of safety container, harness or seat belt. If you have to stop quickly, it increases the pet’s safety and decreases the threat to other occupants of the vehicle.

So have a great holiday and as always DRIVE SAFE!!!