Thanksgiving seems to be a season not only for overdoing the eating, but also overdoing speed and haste on the road, according to a study from a company that specializes in those cameras that catch you running the light.
Verra Mobility says that the Wednesday before Turkey Day is the worst for red-light violations, while speeding tickets spike on the day itself, as people apparently are worried they’ll arrive too late for the carving—or the football kickoff. The company analyzed data from hundreds of communities across 21 states.
Red-light running data
- More than 57,000 red-light violations were recorded during the 2023 Thanksgiving weekend (Wednesday through Sunday).
- Red light running violations, per site, have continued to increase year after year since 2020.
- Most red-light violations occurred between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
Speeding data
- In 2023, the holiday weekend racked up more than 150,000 speeding violations.
- Thanksgiving Day averages the most speeding violations of the weekend.
- Most violations occur between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
- The average number of speeding violations, per site, has shown a slow downward trend since 2021.
AAA estimates around 49.1 million Americans will drive to their Thanksgiving destinations this year. Meanwhile, the National Safety Council (NSC) projects that 507 lives could be lost on U.S. roads during the holiday period.
