The Labor Day holiday period continues Friday, September 2 through Monday, September 5
WASHINGTON, August 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The National Safety Council estimates that more than 450 people could die this Labor Day weekend in preventable accidents, a 2% decrease compared to the same holiday period last year. This year’s estimate reflects the national decrease in motor vehicle fatalities experienced during the first six months of 2022, but the numbers are no cause for celebration. Historically, the second half of the year is deadlier than the first, and analysis shows that from 2018 to 2020, deaths on US roads during the Labor Day weekend accounted for more than 12% of all traffic fatalities. traffic that occur in September of each year.
“With schools and workplaces closed for the holiday weekend, many families drive, bike, skate, run or walk through Labor Day,” it said. Mark Chung, executive vice president of the street practice at NSC. “Mobility systems across the country, however, were built for the speed and efficient movement of vehicles, not the safe movement of people. Knowing this, extra precautions must be taken so that everyone leaving home have the best chance of returning safely.”
NSC urges all drivers to share the road responsibly by following these safety tips this Labor Day holiday weekend—and always:
- Prepare before you go: Before you hit the road, make sure your car is safe to drive. Vehicle owners should check the oil, put air in the tires, and check and repair open recalls. Visit ChecktoProtect.org to see if your vehicle has an open recall and get it repaired for free.
- Collect: Lack of seat belt use is the leading cause of death in accidents. Buckle in, also making sure you have the correct car seats installed correctly.
- Appoint a discreet driver or arrange alternative transport: The holidays are a cause for celebration, but alcohol is only one cause of impaired driving. Drugs, including opioids, marijuana, and some over-the-counter medications, can cause drowsiness, alter visual functions, and affect mental judgment and motor skills.
- Slow down: Speed is a factor in more than a quarter of all traffic fatalities. Drive at or below the speed limit if conditions dictate. Be sure to pay attention to pedestrians and cyclists to keep all road users safe.
- Drive without distraction: Thousands have died in car accidents involving cell phone use. Put away the phones and #JustDrive.
- Check before closing: Pediatric vehicular heatstroke is still the leading cause of non-crash motor vehicle-related fatality in children. In 2022 alone, 17 children in the US are reported to have died due to this completely preventable tragedy. Always check the back seat for children or pets when you reach your destination.
- Looking for safer routes: Join the Road to Zero Coalition to learn about the Safe System approach to road safety. Elements include rumble strips, bike lanes, clearly marked crosswalks, roundabouts and much more.
To create communities where all road users can be safe every day, it’s important to consider how America’s traffic safety efforts today inform the mobility systems of tomorrow. A recent report commissioned by the NSC titled, Mobility, Technology and Security: The Next 20 Years, explores the likely evolution of transportation over the next two decades and its implications for mobility safety. To move the needle on safety, it is clear what needs to be done across sectors—by doubling down on proven countermeasures and interventions, supporting the adoption and implementation of life-saving technology, and prioritizing safety through a Safe System approach . NSC is committed to leveraging this three-pronged approach with innovative solutions and new partnerships to move America to zero traffic deaths.
For more safety tips, visit nsc.org/saferoads. Review additional information about Labor Day holiday fatality estimates and additional motor vehicle damage data and research at facts.nsc.org.
About the National Security Council
The National Safety Council is America’s leading nonprofit safety advocate—and has been for more than 100 years. As a mission-based organization, we work to eliminate the leading causes of preventable death and injury by focusing our efforts on workplace, road and injury. We create a culture of safety not only to keep people safer at work, but also beyond the workplace so they can live their lives to the fullest.
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SOURCE National Security Council
