Every Thanksgiving, residents of Houma will often take a road trip. Sometimes, it can be just a matter of traveling 50 or so miles to see relatives or even to do some shopping up in New Orleans, while at other times, residents instead opt for a longer vacation.
With a strong economy offsetting, even the higher gas prices motorists will face this year, the upcoming travel season is looking like a busy one. One organization estimates that the most people will travel this year for Thanksgiving in more than a decade.
Highway traffic is going to be no exception to this trend. According to this same organization, about 48.5 million people will take to the roads in the upcoming weeks for a holiday trip. This marks a 5 percent increase over even last year’s season.
Historically, Thanksgiving is the country’s busiest travel season, which means that heavy traffic on Louisiana’s highways and roads is likely. In some locales, the roads may be four times more crowded than normal. What this means is that drivers are going to have to take additional steps to be careful and avoid accidents. More cars on the road, statistically speaking, means car accidents are more likely.
The additional traffic is all the more reason to drive slowly and attentively, free of distractions, like cell phones and the like. Moreover, a driver must be sure he is well-rested and, of course, not under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In particular, drivers should be aware that the flow of traffic may slow down or even stop suddenly, and without any apparent cause, when the roads are crowded.