For many, Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start to summer: a season full of friends, family and travel. Many will choose to travel by car to visit and celebrate with loved ones, but tragically, too many will not make it home safely.
The National Safety Council estimates nearly 470 people in America will die in preventable traffic crashes from 6 p.m. on Friday, May 26 to 11:59 p.m. Monday, May 29.
“Car travel has the highest fatality rate of any major mode of transportation based on fatalities per passenger mile,” warns Mark Chung, executive vice president of roadway practice at NSC. “The reasons for this, particularly over a holiday weekend such as Memorial Day, are impairment from alcohol and/or another substance such as cannabis, as well as distraction and speed. For the safety and wellbeing of yourself, and the people around you, designate a sober driver or arrange alternate transportation, drive distraction-free and slow down.”
