Holiday Road Trip Travel Tips in Birmingham, Alabama

More than 100 million people travel for the winter holidays. Of course, some of this travel includes airplanes and trains. But a good deal of holiday road trips involves driving. Some people drive their own cars out of state to visit family and friends. Others rent a car for a road trip when they fly into their hometown. Either way, there is a good chance that a motorist is driving a strange car on a strange highway. This can be a recipe for disaster. That’s why it’s important to know how to get in touch with an experienced car accident lawyer in Birmingham, Alabama.

How Many People Take to the Road During the Winter Holidays?

As mentioned earlier, as of 2016, more than 103 million people in the U.S. took to the roads for the holidays. More than 90% of these travelers are going by car. With gasoline prices still relatively low this year, that number may be even higher for 2020. Every car on the road can be a potential car accident waiting to happen. This is why it’s critical that you’re extra careful when you leave the house this holiday season.

You may be going to visit family for Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Hanukah. Or you may like to get out of town to avoid all of the hubbub associated with the holidays. Other families decide to use this time of year to go on their vacation. School is out for a week or two. A lot of businesses resort to a skeleton crew so a lot of employees are off this time of year. And, with COVID-19 making another resurgence this winter, a lot of people may be desperate to get out of their quarantine cocoons and get out and about.

You Need to Make Sure You Make Frequent Stops

One thing that can cause a lot of holiday road trip accidents is fatigue. Driving across the country can take days. It is a good idea to make frequent stops. Stay at a motel or hotel for a night or two if need be. Take advantage of drive-thru restaurants that are open during COVID and get dinner. You do not want to drive more than 6 to 8 hours a day. After this, your body’s reaction time slows down. You are also more likely to make driving mistakes when you are physically and mentally tired. In fact, the general rule of thumb is that you should take a 45-minute break after every 4 ½ hours of driving.

Know Where You Are Going and How You’re Going to Get There

Plan your route before you leave the house. You don’t want to get lost. You also don’t want to engage in distracted driving while you fidget with your GPS device or app on your road trip. Birmingham car accident lawyers meet with clients all the time who are injured by distracted drivers. Make sure you know where you are going ahead of time.

Always Have a Safety Kit in the Trunk of Your Vehicle

It may sound like common sense, but you need to have a safety kit in your trunk. This kit should include, at a minimum, the following things:

• Blankets
• Spare tire
• Flare gun
• Water and food
• Jack and tools
• Emergency battery starter

If you have these things, you will be in a much better position should you get stranded or in an accident.

If You Are Injured in a Car Wreck this Holiday, Contact a Car Accident Lawyer in Birmingham, Alabama

In a perfect world, nobody would ever get hurt while taking a road trip for the holidays. Sadly, we do not live in a perfect world. Birmingham car accident lawyers see more than their fair share of car accident victims during the holiday season. With so many people on the road, this is bound to be the case. Plus, there are a lot of people taking a road trip on unfamiliar roads. This can be a dangerous combination.

If your family is involved in any sort of motor vehicle accident this season, call our office right away. You can sit down with someone who’s handled dozens of cases just like yours. They will answer your questions and ask a few of their own. Once they have a good idea of what happened, they can give you an estimate of what your case may be worth. Just make sure you are upfront and honest with your Birmingham injury lawyer. They will certainly be upfront and honest with you.

Call today and talk to our friendly staff. You can set up a date and time to meet with our staff. The initial consultation is free, and you don’t pay anything until your case is resolved.