Along with family gatherings, good food, and lots of football, unfortunately, the Thanksgiving holiday means that we can expect a high death rate on the nation’s highways. Thanksgiving is the most heavily traveled holiday of the year and that makes it the most dangerous holiday of the year for American motorists.

Figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that approximately 301 people lost their lives on American roadways during the Thanksgiving weekend in 2012. The Thanksgiving highway death count starts at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving and runs through 5:59 AM on Monday morning.

There are lots of reasons for the high death rate on the roadways. Beginning on Wednesday night, the highways will be very crowded and the flow of traffic will be very slow. That can lead drivers to become frustrated and take unnecessary risks that they might not otherwise take. In American culture, football games and alcohol seem to go hand-in-hand and there will be a lot of drunks on the road. Sunday traffic is almost as bad as the Wednesday evening traffic and, unfortunately, too many drivers wait too long to get on the road to head back home. Drivers may try to speed or take risky chances. Aggressive drivers will be out in force.

With Thanksgiving less than two weeks away, law enforcement agencies throughout the nation will be conducting their annual Thanksgiving “Click It Or Ticket” campaign. The “Click It Or Ticket” campaign begins on November 17th and will run through November 30th. During that time, police will be out in force looking for people who aren’t wearing their seat belts. Sixty percent of the people killed during the 2012 Thanksgiving holiday weekend weren’t wearing seat belts. Police will also be on the lookout for those who are speeding, driving aggressively, or appear to be driving under the influence.

If you plan to travel over the Thanksgiving weekend and your work schedule allows it, try to leave on Tuesday rather than Wednesday and plan to return on Saturday or Monday when the heaviest traffic will be off the roads. Limit your alcohol intake and remember, buzzed driving is impaired driving. Never get behind the wheel of a car if you’ve been drinking even a small amount. Plan on delays and give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination. Remember, being late is better than never arriving at all.