Thanksgiving Travel Tips

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. When I was growing up all 6 of us would pile into our SUV and travel to Kansas City from Topeka. It was about an hour drive, and I thought it was so cool that I could spend the day in a “big city.” The venue would often change, sometimes we would do Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncles, sometimes at my cousins’ house. One of my favorite parts of the day was after the meal, traveling downtown to watch The Plaza lights turn on. This is a must for Thanksgiving in Kansas City.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLXM7kZ034k

It was a wonderful experience with my family. We aren’t the only ones who travel this week.

More than 48.7 million Americans will travel during Thanksgiving week. This is the busiest the roads and skies have been during that time since 2007. With so many people on the road it makes sense that there are more accidents that week. According to NHTSA, there were 764 crashes involving a fatality and 50,000 non-fatal crashes during Thanksgiving week.

Here are some driving tips for this week.

Take your time – Though it is a hectic week, slow down and give yourself enough time to arrive safety. Plan your route beforehand and don’t speed.

Get plenty of rest – Drowsy driving is a serious problem. Holidays can be especially exhausting, so it’s important to be aware of this issue. The RVS-330 Vuemate Driver Fatigue System protects against drowsy driving.

Don’t drink and drive – This should be a no brainer. According to an NHTSA report, 40% of individuals killed in vehicle accidents during the 2012 Thanksgiving week were intoxicated or passengers in a vehicle driven by someone intoxicated.

I’m not going home for Thanksgiving this year, and as the holiday approaches, it makes me a little sad. I am going to have a wonderful time with my brother and his family in Brooklyn, but part of me misses the Thanksgiving of yesteryear. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!