Travel Down But Traffic Up:
While projecting an overall drop of around 4% in holiday road travel for Thanksgiving 2020 as compared to previous years as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, AAA nonetheless expects an uptick in road traffic this Thanksgiving in comparison to recent holidays during the pandemic.
This topsy turvy outcome is possible as a result of changing travel patterns for Americans during the 2020 holiday season. Although fewer people are generally expected to travel this Thanksgiving, road trips are believed to form the primary likely means of travel, accounting for 95% percent of all likely holiday travel. In comparison, Thanksgiving flights are anticipated to drop by half with other means of travel declining 76% percent as compared to previous years.
The result of this switch to a heavier emphasis on auto travel is traffic up to 30% above “normal” pandemic road congestion levels and volumes of traffic unseen during prior pandemic holidays.
Drivers In But Skills Out:
This increase in holiday road traffic also comes at a time when recent surveys are suggesting people are forgetting how to drive due to coronavirus quarantines and lockdowns. Recent reporting out of both the United States and United Kingdom indicate that drivers returning to the road after months of COVID-19 restrictions claim to have forgotten some of their skills behind the wheel, including basics like signaling turns and checking mirrors.
With travel down, traffic up, drivers in, and skills out, Americans driving this Thanksgiving will need to keep a sharp eye out as they get everyone safely to the table and home again.
If you or someone you love has suffered an injury due in an auto crash, call the Houston law firm of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner at 713-231-9360 or toll free at 1-888-229-5094 for a personal injury consultation.