Last year, Connecticut troopers were out on the roads scouting for reckless drivers posing a threat to other motorists and pedestrians over Labor Day. In just one weekend, the Connecticut State Police recorded:
In addition to the thousands of violations, there were a total of 326 accidents reported resulting in 53 injuries and sadly, one road fatality.
One road fatality in a single holiday weekend may not seem so bad, but without Connecticut troopers trolling the highways for dangerous drivers, the fatality rates would be far higher. Every Labor Day weekend, an average of 420 people die in road accidents across the country, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). High volumes of holiday travelers and an increase of reckless driving behaviors on the road have earned Labor Day a spot on the American Safety Council’s list of the six most dangerous holidays of the year and Connecticut residents should be alert and aware.
In addition to hundreds of unnecessary deaths, over 40,000 injuries are reported by the NSC annually over Labor Day weekend. Ranging from minor to severe injuries, motorists, passengers, and pedestrians are at a higher risk of getting into a vehicle accident simply from being on the roads this holiday.
Physicians Now lists the top five most common types of motor vehicle injuries possible over Labor Day weekend, including:
Injuries sustained in a vehicle accident can be traumatizing and sometimes permanent. What’s even more devastating is most of these catastrophic injuries are highly preventable by avoiding these common Labor Day road hazards.
Drinking and driving over the holiday weekend is one of the most common reasons for the uptick in vehicle accidents and injuries around Labor Day. In an article published be Sobering Up, Labor Day was named the fourth deadliest holiday for drunk driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 40% of all vehicle accidents over Labor Day weekend involve drivers under the influence, with 23% of these drivers exceeding the legal intoxication limit of .08.
Drunk driving increases over Labor Day weekend for a number of different reasons:
Alcohol can impair a number of vital driving functions including judgment, concentration, comprehension, visual accuracy, coordination, and reaction time. Any of these impairments can cause a driver to seriously injure or even kill another motorist in a matter of only a few seconds.
