The holiday season is here. Shoppers are heading out, looking for the perfect gifts for friends and loved ones. Families are looking for their perfect Christmas tree and are participating in their traditional holiday activities. As a result, you’ll likely notice more vehicles on the road in the coming weeks. In fact, you may need to be careful, especially if you run into these five types of holiday drivers, who would be best to avoid:
- A holiday driver heading home after evening out at a holiday party or family gathering. If you notice a driver swerving or who misses a stop sign or red light, that driver likely had a little too much to drink at their holiday celebration. In 2018, 285 people were killed in drunk driving accidents between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
- A holiday driver who has filled their vehicle to the brim with gifts. Perhaps, you are sharing the road with a Black Friday shopper who scored a lot of great deals. Having a vehicle full of gifts can leave a driver not able to see out their rear window or obstruct their rear-view mirror view. Or if too many items are in the front seat, the driver can’t easily see to their right. That could lead to a driver failing to see another vehicle in the road and increase the risks of a crash.
- A holiday driver who has a Christmas tree that’s not well anchored to the roof of their vehicle. It isn’t easy to secure a large object to the roof of your car. You may notice a tree swaying on the vehicle in front of you or the car beside you on the freeway. If you aren’t careful, that tree could fly toward your vehicle before you know it.
- A holiday driver with out-of-town license plates. Many people spend time visiting their families over the holidays. Yet if they are from out of town, they may not know the area well and may drive erratically or miss a stop sign.
- A preoccupied holiday driver who is trying to do too much behind the wheel. Holidays drivers often are rushing from place to place. They may have their energy-boosting latte in one hand or be touching up their makeup before a holiday party. They also can easily become distracted by a text or phone call reminding them of another gift they need to buy.
When you notice one of these dangerous types of holiday drivers, your best move is to move out of their lane of traffic and try to safely speed up and pass them. Or you could make a turn to take an alternate route. If you feel you are sharing the road with a drunk driver or someone who is a danger to someone else, you always can call police. You’ll feel better knowing you took action to ensure your safety and that of others on the roads this holiday season.
