Turkey Fires, Road Fatalities and Party Liability: The Biggest Dangers to Look Out For on Thanksgiving

Attending a big Thanksgiving get-together for family and friends can be the highlight of the fall season, but homeowners should look out for certain risks, whether you're making a trip to Grandma's house or hosting your loved ones at home. From travel to cooking fires, here's what to look out for over Thanksgiving weekend and how to stay safe.

How risky is traveling somewhere else on Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest travel periods of the year. And with so many people on the roads, it's unsurprising that traffic deaths increase during that time.

In 2015, there were 505 road deaths nationwide over the five-day period surrounding Thanksgiving, from Wednesday to Sunday. And the number of deaths over this holiday weekend appears to be growing over time. By 2017, the number of road deaths had increased to 597 nationwide.

Which days of Thanksgiving weekend are most dangerous to drive?

Not every day of Thanksgiving weekend is equally deadly. Thanksgiving itself is the most dangerous day for driving, as about 119 Americans on average die in car crashes. That's 18.9% more than a typical Thursday.

What may be surprising is that the following three days are actually less dangerous than a typical weekend. The Saturday after the holiday is particularly safe, with 7.8% fewer road deaths than a typical Saturday.

However, this trend does seem to be changing over time. While Thanksgiving Saturday in 2015 was 22.7% safer than a typical Saturday that year, in 2017, Thanksgiving Saturday was 5% more dangerous than a normal Saturday.

Which states have the most dangerous roads on Thanksgiving?

Not every state has equally dangerous roads. We looked at the number of road fatalities over Thanksgiving weekend per state, and some states have up to six times as many deaths as other states over the Thanksgiving holiday period.

Mississippi has the most deaths during this time, with an average of 3.7 deaths per 1 million people over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend.

Alabama, Idaho, Maine and Kansas round out the top five, each of which had at least three deaths per 1 million people each year.

States with the most Thanksgiving road deaths, 2015-2017

[table align "left left right right"] Rank|State|Average road deaths per 1 million people|Percentage difference from national average _ 1|Mississippi|3.7|+119% _ 2|Alabama|3.2|+91% _ 3|Idaho|3.0|+81% _ 4|Maine|3.0|+78% _ 5|Kansas|3.0|+77% _ [/table]

On the other hand, some states have very few traffic fatalities over Thanksgiving weekend. Massachusetts had an average of only 0.6 road deaths per 1 million people. New Hampshire had only three total — all in 2015. However, its smaller population size makes it more dangerous per capita than Minnesota and Massachusetts.

States with the fewest Thanksgiving road deaths, 2015-2017

How risky is hosting a party on Thanksgiving?

Hosting a party on Thanksgiving isn't intrinsically more dangerous than hosting a party on any other day of the year, except that it's among the largest gatherings many families hold. So you might run into some problems you've never experienced before, which could include frying a turkey or someone getting hurt at your party.

Frying a turkey

Frying a turkey in the backyard is a delicious, impressive way to prepare your Thanksgiving meal. But turkey fryer accidents are among the most destructive sources of home damage that occur over Thanksgiving weekend. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Thanksgiving is the worst day of the year for cooking fires, and turkey fryer accidents are among the most common causes of accidents.

So if you decide to deep-fry a turkey, take some steps to protect yourself beforehand.

Dealing with this much boiling oil is unpredictable, even if you've taken all the proper precautions. Fortunately, if the fryer starts a fire or causes a burn, then you'll be covered by homeowners or renters insurance. Fire damage is one of the main covered perils in nearly all homeowners insurance policies. And fire damage from cooking is typically included, though some policies have exemptions for negligence.

What if someone gets hurt at my party?

Anytime you have people over to your house, there's a chance something could go wrong. Maybe someone will trip on your stairs, or they could get food poisoning.

If you have guests over for your Thanksgiving party, you'll be protected by your homeowners insurance liability coverage if there's an accident. Most homeowners insurance policies include a few thousand dollars of no-fault medical expense coverage, which covers medical bills when a guest is injured on your property, or if they get sick from the food you've prepared.

If their bills exceed your medical payments coverage (and their own health insurance), your guest will likely need to make a full-scale liability claim, which might be time-consuming and expensive.

In some states, you can also be held liable for the actions of your guests under social host liability law. For example, if one of your guests gets drunk and crashes their car on the way home, you could be held liable, depending on state law. So it's crucial to monitor your guests' alcohol intake at your party.

Methodology

We calculated the frequency of Thanksgiving-related road deaths over three years (2015, 2016 and 2017) on a state and national level using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). We then compared Thanksgiving weekend (Wednesday through Sunday) to the average Wednesday-to-Sunday period for each year.

To determine statewide per-capita averages, we used the U.S. Census Bureau's annual estimates of resident populations for 2017.