For people across the U.S., the holiday season means not only spending time with family and friends -- but also lots of traveling.
In fact, according to AAA SoCal, about 3.14 million people will be hitting the roads in Southern California to go home for Thanksgiving. That number represents a 3.4 percent increase from last year.
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, there will be more Southern California drivers on the road since 2007.
The reasons for the uptick are numerous: higher wages, more disposable income, increased consumer confidence and some of the lowest gas prices since the start of the recession in 2008.
A spokesperson from AAA SoCal advised, if you can, to avoid traveling on the two days before Thanksgiving and on the following Sunday, as these times see the highest volumes of traffic.
Crowded freeways aren't the only increased risk during the holidays; drunk driving also spikes
Unfortunately, each year the winter holidays see a rise in drunk driving accidents. Every one of these incidents is entirely preventable, and people who have had too much to drink should plan ahead, make the responsible decision and avoid driving.
In far too many cases, innocent people suffer severe injuries or die because of drunk drivers' reckless actions during the holidays. In fact, hundreds of Californians lose their lives each year in drunk driving accidents.
Accident victims can hold negligent drivers accountable
Regardless of the time of year, every driver has a duty of care to other motorists. Sweeney, Sweeney & Sweeney, APC, is a family-owned law firm providing personal injury representation to accident victims. For more on obtaining full and fair compensation after an auto accident, please see our motor vehicle accident overview.
If you have a case, contact our firm today to learn more about how we can help you.