Airlines delays and cancellations put Thanksgiving travel in jeopardy
USA TODAY travel writer Zach Wichter warns that Thanksgiving travel could be delayed due to airline flight reductions due to the government shutdown.
It should come as no surprise to no one that millions of Americans will be hitting the roads over the next week. But what may surprise you is just how many drivers aren’t focused on the road.
Distracted driving on Thanksgiving spikes to the highest level of any day other than Christmas. According to research released by Cambridge Mobile Telematics, drivers in the United States spend approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds per hour using their cell phones these days.
CMT estimates that over the past Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, distracted drivers caused more than 3,200 crashes, resulting in 1,800 injuries and 15 deaths. Using National Highway Traffic Safety Estimates, they estimate that about the same number of people were killed by distracted or drunk driving in 2021.
How much does distracted driving increase during holidays and events?
CMT began using cell phone sensors to track driver distraction in 2013. The Cambridge, Mass.-based company now combines a variety of data points, from smartphones and their apps to car sensors. The company’s AI platform helps generate a detailed picture of a car’s safety, and the numbers are displayed prominently on the phone.
So drivers could face even more dangerous conditions on U.S. roads as record numbers of people travel for Thanksgiving. AAA estimates that about 80 million people will travel between Nov. 26 and Dec. 2 in 2023, with the majority, 71.7 million, driving more than 50 miles.
Sergeant Mitchell Ridgway of the South Carolina Highway Patrol told the Greenville News, part of the USA TODAY Network, last year that even without distractions, more vehicles on the road makes travel more dangerous.
“When you have extra vehicles on the road, you have less space to move and increase the potential for collisions,” Ridgway said. “The number of vehicles and drivers on the road is increasing, but unfortunately drivers sometimes make mistakes that cause collisions.”
Apps Americans use most often while driving
So what is it that grabs our attention while on the road? According to CMT data, drivers spent 1 minute and 30 seconds on their cell phones every hour in 2023. CMT asked 1,200 U.S. drivers which apps they use while driving. The 30 most common:
When is the best time to drive during Thanksgiving week?
If you want to avoid as many drivers as possible (distracted or not), Insurify.com has some helpful numbers for those preparing to drive.
According to Insurify, distracted driving is most common between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., about 22.2% higher than on a typical Thursday.
According to the analysis, speeding tickets increase by 68% on Thanksgiving compared to a typical Thursday.
Contributor: Terry Benjamin II
