Driving During The Thanksgiving Holiday

• Service and inspect your vehicle before your travel, such as tire condition and air pressure, brakes, windshield wipers, headlights, tail lights and hoses.

• Time: Give yourself plenty of extra time. The Wednesday before the holiday is the most traveled. Always allow for traffic delays. If you are traveling to local mountains or areas with snow, please see Driving Safety in Snow Conditions.

• Holiday traffic includes more big, slow recreational vehicles. Be on the lookout for them, especially on hills and curves.

• Take driving breaks regularly by switching drivers every couple of hours or pulling over to a safe location to stretch and rest.

• Try to plan your travel during daylight hours, as more fatal crashes occur during the night.

• Drive on major highways if possible, as smaller two-lane roads because these are the deadliest; interstate highways are safest.

• Avoid distractions while driving. Being distracted by talking on a cell phone or talking to passengers have been shown to be one of the leading  causes of motor vehicle crashes. Some research claims that cell phone users are about as likely to have a crash as are drunk drivers.

• Do not allow anyone if they have had even one alcoholic drink.

• Insist that everyone in the vehicle wears safety belts or uses a child safety seat anytime the vehicle is moving, no matter how short the trip. See Child Passenger Safety.

• Vision: Take the time to clean your windows and mirrors, before and during your trip.

• Lights: Even though you can see, drive with low-beam headlights in snow, fog or just winter murk. Keep all lenses free of dirt by wiping them periodically. Dirty headlights can cut visibility by 50 percent or more.

• Tires: Be sure your tires have adequate tread for traction in snow and to reduce the risk of hydroplaning in rain or puddles on the road. Remember that every time the outside temperature drops 10 degrees, the tire air pressure goes down about one pound per square inch and under-inflated tires are the major cause of tire failure.

• Ice/Freezing Rain: At 30 degrees ice is twice as slippery as it is at 0 degrees. It also forms first and lasts longer on bridges and in the shade in mountain areas. If you hit an unexpected patch, do not brake, accelerate, or downshift. First, let up on your accelerator and then, let your vehicle "roll" through the slippery area.

• Skidding: If you go into a skid, act quickly by taking your foot off the accelerator and steer in the direction the back of the vehicle is skidding. In other words, if you want your vehicle to go right, turn right. If you want it to go left, turn left. Hold the steering wheel firmly and turn gently, not sharp.

• Deer: If you are traveling and see highway signs indicating "deer crossing", be particularly alert when traveling and slow down.

Driver Distraction

California Mountain Pass Closures

California Highway Information

Driving Preparation (FEMA)

For more information please call (213) 351-7888

Last modified on 09/26/2008 .