The holiday season beckons Austin residents to travel across the network of nearby cities to visit with friends and family. The increase of driving long distances with little sleep or rushing to make it places fast, along with alcohol and partying increases the likelihood of motor vehicle accidents. What is meant to be a time of thanksgiving and quality time with loved ones can easily become tragic when pedestrians and drivers encounter dangerous situations while in transit.
Heavy holiday traffic puts law enforcement on guard for expected fatalities. Unfortunately, many families will grieve in the next few months due to accidents that could have been prevented. While prevention is routinely stressed in televised public service announcements, news interviews and online content, many people young and old will be the victims of serious accidents in the coming months.
Here is a list of the most common factors that increase motor vehicle accidents:
- Not following signs and rules
- Driving intoxicated
- Falling asleep at the wheel
- Distracted driving
- Speed
- Impatience and road rage
- Failing to have car serviced or maintained for safety
Accidents are oftentimes preventable. Take extra caution to ensure your vehicle is in peak condition for driving and you have made holiday arrangements that don’t leave you exhausted and mentally impaired to drive safely.
When you take special precaution, you are not only keeping yourself safe, but those around you. The holidays should be a special time to invest your time and energy with those you love, instead of resulting in regret and emotional anguish due to an untimely death or incapacitation.
