54.3 million Americans will travel 50+ miles for Thanksgiving this year according to estimates from AAA. Of those, nearly 49 million will travel by motor vehicle, slowing travel times as much as four-times over in some of the nation’s most congested cities – like Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Orlando – which can make driving very frustrating. Therefore, the very first tip to safe travel on Thanksgiving is: remain calm. Aggressive, erratic driving does not get you to your destination faster. These behaviors do, however, reduce your chances of getting to your destination alive.
Drive Like Your Life Depends on It
The best way to drive, always, is like your life and the lives of everyone else on the road depends on your doing it well.
Driving well means:
- Avoiding all forms of distraction. Cell Phones are no good while driving, but neither are handsfree alternatives. Have a passenger adjust electronics, music, and messages. You focus on driving. Just on driving.
- Follow all traffic signs and signals. You’ll want to follow the flow of traffic, but not if that means speeding, making unannounced lane changes, or other inconsiderate driving behaviors.
- Allow a sufficient gap between yourself and the car in front of you. 2-3 car lengths is ideal on the highway. This will give you plenty of time to respond to sudden stops or shifts in traffic flow.
- Be nice. Drive with courtesy and be forgiving. The calmer you stay, the less awful traffic will seem. Give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination and engage fully with what’s happening: it’s Thanksgiving. There is going to be more traffic. Some of it may be stand-still. This is just a fact. Getting frustrated doesn’t change reality.
Being polite, remaining calm, and paying attention to what you’re doing can help you avoid causing a motor vehicle accident during the Thanksgiving holiday travel week (Wednesday, November 21 – Sunday, November 25). Driving as it matters can also help you – along with everyone else who is riding in your car, truck, or SUV – avoid being the victim of someone else’s accident.
What Happens if I’m Injured?
If you are injured while driving to or from your Thanksgiving celebration, My Price Lawyers can help. We are a referral network of exceptional personal injury attorneys in Tampa, Brandon, Lakeland, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Orlando, Sebring, and nearby areas throughout the state of Florida. While attorneys in our network offer legal services at affordable rates, they are neither “cheap” nor “discounted.” Instead, they are committed to helping victims of serious injury get justice and do not want current financial considerations to be an impediment to success.
If you are in need of a personal injury lawyer anywhere along the Gulf Coast, please call My Price Lawyers at (888) 473-6137 to schedule a complimentary case review with one of our experienced lawyers today.