Generally speaking, during the Holiday Season roads can get pretty busy with both families getting together and workers, above all delivery drivers with holiday shopping parcels. Despite 2020 being an exceptional year, as some people might be still forced into lockdowns, this season is usually particularly dangerous for professional drivers and other road users as distracted driving tends to be quite common.
According to True Motion, on a typical weekday, drivers spend about 9% of their time texting, scrolling through their social feeds, and emailing – active phone use. But during the holidays, active phone use jumps an incredible 33%.
What are then the most dangerous holiday driving hazards we should avoid?
#1 - Distracted driving. As announced from the introduction and the title, distracted driving increases during the holiday season. People tend to use more their mobile phones to send wishes to family, friends and coworkers or call while they are driving to update their loved ones about when they are supposed to reach their destination.
#2 - Drink driving. With dinners, parties and celebrations generally involving alcohol consumption, impaired drivers tend to hit the road more during this season. Our advice is to never drink and drive, nominate a designated driver or plan ahead to stay at a hotel and not driving back home.
#3 - Driver fatigue. The increasing traffic with consequent aggressive driving in some cases, low visibility because of the weather conditions and the pressure to reach destinations earlier to reunite with family might all be factors making driving journeys more stressful and drivers more prone to experience fatigue.
This holiday season, take a look at this driver safety checklist and make sure you avoid dangerous driving and stay safe!
Photo by Chad Madden on Unsplash
