With Thanksgiving coming up, I wanted to take some time to talk about driving safely during the holidays.

While the holiday season can be a lot of fun, holidays are also notorious for being dangerous. This is because you have a lot of people on the road as well as a lot of people drinking and driving. These factors also lead to an increase in police surveillance on the roads. If you want to have an enjoyable and safe holiday, consider following these tips for being on the road.

Dealing With Traffic

Car accidents happen in the blink of an eye. The last thing that you want to have happen on your fun holiday vacation is to get into an accident and deal with damage to your vehicle or injury to you and your family. Here are a few tips to help you avoid any accidents or issues on the road:

• Be mindful of the road conditions. If it is icy or snowy outside, make sure that your car is equipped to deal with the weather. Also be sure to focus on the road, keep enough space between you and other cars, and to refrain from speeding.
• If you are stuck in traffic, pay attention to the flow of traffic so that you don’t accidentally rear-end someone. Also, don’t let anger at traffic cause you to do something reckless, such as cutting someone off or trying to pass someone when there is not enough room.
• Make sure that the person who is driving (whether it is you or another family member) has not been drinking. Drinking increases the chances of an accident – and a DUI charge.

Dealing With Police

The police know that the roads tend to be a mess during the holidays. This usually means that there are more police officers watching the roads on holidays and around holiday weekends. Be mindful of this and make sure that you are following the rules of the road. Don’t speed, engage in reckless driving, or commit any other motor vehicle violations. The odds of you getting caught during the holidays are higher.

DUI Checkpoints

Finally, keep in mind that many towns set up DUI checkpoints around the holidays. Again, the holidays usually lead to an increase of drinking and driving. The police want to catch people drinking and driving if they can. So, refraining from drinking before getting in the car is a good idea. This will ensure that you won’t have an issue at any DUI checkpoints you run into or if you get pulled over by the police. Getting a DUI would definitely put a damper on your holiday festivities!

Getting Help

Hopefully, these tips help to keep you safe as you celebrate Thanksgiving. If you unfortunately do face any issues on the roads this holiday season, contact our office for help. We can provide the resources that you need to deal with a motor vehicle violation or a DUI.