433 traffic-related deaths predicted for holiday weekend, NSC estimates

The National Safety Council estimates that 433 people will be killed – and another 52,300 will be seriously injured – in motor vehicle-related crashes during the Thanksgiving holiday period, which begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 29.

The four-day period falls near the end of what NSC says has been a particularly deadly year on the roads. Preliminary NSC estimates indicate traffic deaths are up 10 percent through the first nine months of 2015, compared with the same time period in 2014.

“Each Thanksgiving, we begin another holiday season while remembering all we are grateful for,” Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of NSC, said in a press release. “But do not let the frenetic pace of the season rush you on the roads. Be alert and drive defensively so you can celebrate at home, not sit in the emergency room.”