Most Dangerous Roads For Holiday Season Travel

With Thanksgiving fast approaching and Christmas just on the horizon, holiday travel planning is in full swing across the country. However, as one of the busiest times to drive, it is also one of the most dangerous. There were 3,399 traffic fatalities that occurred on Thanksgiving and Christmas from 2015 to 2018, as reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

ValuePenguin collated data from more than 2,700 fatal car accidents to find which roads are the deadliest for holiday travelers.

Key findings:

I-10 (California to Florida)

Major metropolitan areas along route: Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans and Jacksonville, FL

The road with the most holiday traffic fatalities from 2015 to 2018 is Interstate 10, with 49 such deaths resulting from crashes during the holiday season in these years. For Thanksgiving, the sections of this road that fall within El Paso County, Texas, and East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, had the greatest number of deaths during this time period. Nearly one-quarter of the Thanksgiving traffic fatalities on I-10 occurred in these two jurisdictions.

Most dangerous sections for Thanksgiving driving

Most dangerous areas for Christmas travel

I-95 (Florida to Maine)

Major metropolitan areas along route: Boston; New York; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; and Miami

This major thoroughfare along the Eastern Seaboard is a popular route for holiday travelers. However, it is also one of the most dangerous to travel this holiday season. Those looking to drive on I-95 this Christmas should take particular care in Bronx County, New York. This section of I-95 accounted for the most traffic fatalities on Christmas of any county that contains this roadway from 2015 to 2018.

Most dangerous areas for Thanksgiving travel

Most dangerous areas for Christmas travel

I-80 (California to New Jersey)

Major metropolitan areas along route: San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Cleveland and New York

I-80 is more than twice as dangerous for Thanksgiving drivers than it is for people traveling during Christmas time. There were 16 total traffic fatalities on Thanksgiving, compared to seven on Christmas. Additionally, though by total distance it only makes up 7% of the total length of the roadway, the section of I-80 that falls in California accounted for 42% of the holiday traffic fatalities during the time period we considered for this study.

Most dangerous areas for Thanksgiving travel

Most dangerous areas for Christmas travel

I-35 (Texas to Minnesota)

Major metropolitan areas along route: Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Dallas; Austin, Texas; and San Antonio

With the same number of holiday season fatalities from 2015 to 2018, I-35 ties with I-80 to rank as the third-most dangerous interstate in the U.S. for Thanksgiving and Christmas driving. However, this danger is almost entirely consolidated to the southern half of this road, as a majority of the holiday travel fatalities occur in Texas. Furthermore, during the time period we considered, there were no reported traffic fatalities in Iowa or Minnesota along I-35 (according to the NHTSA) despite making up 30% of the total length of I-35.

Most dangerous areas for Thanksgiving travel

Most dangerous areas for Christmas travel

I-20 (Texas to South Carolina)

Major metropolitan areas along route: Dallas; Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham, Alabama; and Atlanta

I-20, which services much of the Southeast and connects Dallas and Atlanta, accounted for the fifth-most holiday traffic fatalities out of the entire interstate highway system. Taylor County in Texas, whose largest city is Abilene, has proven to be particularly dangerous for Thanksgiving driving. This city alone accounted for more than one-third of the Thanksgiving traffic fatalities on I-20. [/column]

Most dangerous areas for Thanksgiving travel

Most dangerous areas for Christmas travel

National trends for holiday travel: drunk driving is involved in almost one-third of accidents

Drinking and driving plays a large role in making the roads unsafe during the holiday season. In a previous study, we found that Thanksgiving and Christmas were among the deadliest holidays for drunken driving.

According to our study, urban areas are more dangerous for holiday driving than rural areas. From 2015 to 2018, 55% percent of these traffic fatalities took place in areas that were classified as urban, while 45% took place in rural areas. Additionally, as much as 23% of fatal holiday-season accidents involved pedestrians.

Holiday travel safety tips

Holiday-season driving can be dangerous; however, for many it is the only option for travel this November and December. If you can't stay off the roads, you can still make sure you and your vehicle are prepared. Additionally, check that you have adequate car insurance coverage, which can protect you and your car if you get into an accident.

This means you should drive at the speed limit, avoid using your phone and don't drink alcohol before driving. In addition to preventing serious injuries or death, avoiding accidents can also save you on potential car insurance premium hikes that follow an at-fault accident.

Having adequate car insurance coverage can help protect you from having to pay out of pocket for damage you cause or repairs to your vehicle. Your car insurance policy should ideally include liability coverage above the state-required minimum limits as well as comprehensive and collision coverage. These types of coverage pay to repair or replace your vehicle if your car is damaged in an accident, storm or act of vandalism.

Complete list of dangerous roads

Methodology

We gathered data on traffic fatalities from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) on fatal accidents from 2015 to 2018. Accidents that occurred during the NHTSA-designated holiday periods for Thanksgiving and Christmas were considered. In determining the most dangerous road, we only considered U.S. highways and interstates that were part of the National Highway System.