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Georgia releases holiday weekend data after a fatal New Year’s

The holiday weekend is always busy in Georgia, but it also shows just how much an influx of traffic from other areas or the rush of getting from one place to another can influence crash rates. Georgia’s public safety department reported that the 2020 New Year’s holiday weekend resulted in 10 fatal crashes with 13 deaths. Those crashes all took place between December 31 at 6 p.m. and midnight on the following Sunday.

In most of the cases, the crashes happened under the jurisdiction of the state troopers, suggesting that they happened on the highways. Only two were investigated locally. However, that doesn’t mean that there weren’t dangerous drivers out on local roads. The state did report arresting 372 people for driving under the influence. In total, another 9,237 people received warnings, and 7,976 received citations.

What makes the New Year’s holiday weekend so dangerous for drivers?

The New Year’s holiday weekend is dangerous for drivers because of the likelihood that people will be drinking before getting behind the wheel. Traffic increases as people head to parties, and more traffic is on the roads at night, especially after midnight on the 31st and 1st of the year.

Safe Auto reports that there are 71% more collisions related to drugs and alcohol in that same time frame across the United States compared to any other time.

What can you do to avoid dangerous drivers on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day?

Whether you’re going out on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day or another holiday, it’s important for you to be aware of your surroundings. If you’ll be drinking, make sure you have a sober driver behind the wheel, so they can be more attentive to what’s going on around your vehicle.

Of course, the only way to completely avoid a crash on a busy night like New Year’s Eve is to stay home or to stay at the venue where you’ve decided to attend an event. If you can’t, just do your best to stick to familiar roadways and to pay attention to what’s going on around you.

If you’re hit, then you should remember to seek medical care immediately. The other driver can be held accountable if they were intoxicated and caused a collision.