Personal Injury Law

Memorial Day traffic season almost here

By Ryan Bradley, Esq.

It's nearly Memorial Day weekend and that means the kids will be finishing up school, the pools will be opening and the barbecue grills will be hot. It also means that a lot of people will be out on the roadways.

Memorial Day is a very busy traveling holiday, especially for motorists. The long weekend lends itself to a road trip, and millions of Americans take advantage. Tens of millions of people leave home for the holiday every year.

This year is expected to be even bigger with AAA predicting more than a 5 percent increase in travelers. As many as 32 million Americans will be traveling this holiday weekend. The increase, according to some experts, can be attributed to the economy that, while not nearly totally back on track, is a little brighter than this time last year.

All those extra cars on the road also means more serious car accidents. There is always a spike in accident numbers over the holiday weekend due largely to the increased traffic and the fact that a lot of Memorial Day festivities involve alcohol. Memorial Day is also the start of the summer driving season which is especially notorious for being a bad time for teens getting injured in car crashes.

Be sure your holiday doesn't take a tragic turn. Don't drink and drive and be aware of others on the roadway who may not be so responsible. Even if you typically have a lead foot, make this weekend be the one where you stay under the speed limit and don't take any chances.

Full post as published by Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog on May 27, 2010 (boomark / email).