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The holiday season is a time for celebration, bringing families and friends together for parties, gatherings, and joyous traditions. However, it’s also a time when the dangers on the road increase significantly, particularly due to drunk driving. While the festivities offer moments of happiness, they often come with a surge in alcohol consumption, creating an unsafe combination when mixed with driving. Raising awareness about the holiday season’s rise in car accidents caused by drunk drivers is the first step in bringing the number of these crashes down to zero.
How Common is Holiday Drunk Driving?
Traffic safety reports from groups like the National Safety Council (NSC) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show a sharp increase in drunk driving accidents during the holiday season. For example, on New Year's Eve alone, alcohol-related crashes can spike by as much as 25-30% on average each year and across the country. The NHTSA has also repeatedly warned that December sees an uptick in fatal drunk driving accidents compared to most other months.
Similar safety data and traffic reports indicate that specific holidays like Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are particularly dangerous times to be on the road due to the uncommonly large number of drivers at any given time. When there are more drivers than usual, the risk of encountering a drunk driver innately increases. Furthermore, nights and weekends during the holiday season are high-risk periods for young drivers in their 20s and 30s, who are more likely to get into a car accident during these times.
Why Does Drunk Driving Become More Common During the Holidays?
Almost every holiday party will include a large selection of alcoholic beverages. Whether it’s at an office gathering, a family dinner, or a casual celebration with friends, alcohol is often at the center of socialization during the holiday season. Unfortunately, many people overestimate their ability to drive after drinking and get behind the wheel after a holiday party when they should have stayed put and sobered up.
Another factor for drunk driving’s increase during the holidays is holiday stress, which can inadvertently contribute to overindulgence. The pressure of seeing relatives, finding the perfect gift for loved ones, and end-of-year work responsibilities can push people to cope in unhealthy ways, like overdrinking.
Additionally, the holiday season is peak travel time. More cars on the road mean a higher likelihood of accidents—and when impaired drivers are part of the mix, the results can be catastrophic.
Holiday Safety Tips for Drivers
It’s important to remember that 100% of drunk driving accidents are preventable when people act with more care and caution. All that needs to be done to stop holiday drunk driving accidents is for people to commit to never driving after drinking alcohol. With a few tips, you can more easily do your part in bringing holiday drunk driving accidents in your community down to zero, too.
- Plan ahead: If you know you’ll be drinking at a holiday get-together, arrange for a designated driver or use a ride-sharing service like Uber or Lyft. Public transportation could also be a reliable option in your neighborhood but you will need to check ahead of time to see how late buses, trains, and trams run.
- Host responsibly: If you’re throwing a party, set ground rules about safe driving behaviors. Encourage guests to have a plan for getting home safely, provide non-alcoholic beverages as alternatives to beer and liquor, and offer people places to spend the night if they overdrink.
- Avoid driving if you feel unsure: Even if you’ve had just one drink, it’s better to err on the side of caution and stay put until you know you are sober. A slight delay is better than putting yourself or others at risk of a serious accident.
- Watch for impaired drivers: If you’re on the road, be alert for signs of other drivers who may be impaired, such as swerving or erratic braking. Keep your distance and, if safe to do so, report them to authorities. Your report could allow an officer to remove a drunk driver from the road before they seriously injure themselves or someone else.
- Encourage sober driving: Talk openly with friends and family at your holiday get-together about the importance of responsible drinking and avoiding impaired driving. Sometimes, a simple reminder can make a big difference.
Legal Action After a Holiday Drunk Driving Accident
Please share this blog with your friends, family, and social circles to help spread awareness about the importance of safe and sober driving during the holidays. Pledge to be responsible and encourage others to do the same. Together, let's keep this holiday season safe and joyful for everyone.
If you are hit by a drunk driver in Texas this holiday season, come to Hilliard Law for all the legal counsel and representation you need. Our law firm has been helping the wrongfully injured in our communities for nearly 40 years, so you can be sure that we will know how to handle your drunk driving accident claim, no matter how many details and steps are involved. You can talk to our Texas trial attorneys whenever you need us by dialing (361) 882-1612 and scheduling a FREE case consultation.