Make It to the Table This Thanksgiving
Buckle Up. Every Trip. Every Time.
&
Drive Sober
Summit, IL— The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is teaming up with The Summit Police Department to make sure you make it to the table this Thanksgiving. Because the Thanksgiving holiday is one of the busiest for America, more drivers will be on the roads than usual, increasing the likelihood of a motor vehicle crash. During this kickoff to the holiday season, it’s more important than ever to stress the importance of seat belt safety with this essential reminder: Buckle Up. Every Trip. Every Time.
During the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in 2019 (6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 27, to 5:59 a.m. on Monday, December 2), there were 279 passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes across the nation. More than half (54%) were unrestrained. Nighttime proved even more deadly, with 52% of Thanksgiving weekend crashes occurring at night. These deaths represent needless tragedies for families across America and may have been prevented with the simple click of a seat belt.
Drunk-driving-related crashes spike during the Thanksgiving holiday season. According to NHTSA, from 2015 to 2019, 135 drivers involved in fatal crashes on Thanksgiving Eve (6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.) were alcohol-impaired, and over the entire holiday period (6 p.m. the Wednesday before Thanksgiving through 5:59 a.m. the Monday after Thanksgiving), nearly 800 people died in alcohol-impaired crashes. In fact, during the 2019 Thanksgiving holiday period, more than four times as many drivers involved in fatal crashes were alcohol-impaired during nighttime hours than during the day.
From November 19th through the 29th Summit Police will increase patrols to help identify and address seatbelt violations and impaired driving.
For more information about traveling safely this Thanksgiving, please visit www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/seat-belts.