Driving On Thanksgiving: Slow Down, Pay Attention

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Congestion is not the only issue for the 49 million Americans who are taking to the roads for Thanksgiving 2019. The researchers at Cambridge Mobile Telematics found that Thanksgiving Day is the most dangerous day of the holiday week to drive, with nearly half of trips taken involving speeding, and more than a third involving distracted driving.

So whether you're staying close to home or driving through some of the nation's largest metropolitan areas, give yourself enough time to get to grandmother's house. And don't get distracted by messages about last-minute items to pick up at the store!

CMT analyzed nearly 5.8 million drives (trips taken) in the USA to uncover the most congested and dangerous cities over Thanksgiving week, as well as the best days to travel. Based on data analyzed from Nov. 19 - 26, 2018, CMT found that Wednesday is the most congested day to travel, while Thursday is the most dangerous, with nearly half (46 percent) of drives involving speeding and 38 percent involving distraction.

Note that New York City is not the worst. The researchers found that Memphis, New Orleans, Nashville, Arlington (Texas), Kansas City (Missouri), Charlotte, Houston, Miami, D.C. and Fort Worth (Texas) are the most distracted cities for travel during Thanksgiving week.

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