With the holiday weekend now upon us drivers are going to be hitting Alabama highways in large numbers despite high gas prices. According to AAA, nearly 35 million people will travel 50 miles or more from their home this holiday weekend. Unfortunately, more drivers on the roadways means more wrecks. In 2009, the Memorial Day holiday period was the deadliest for Alabama drivers surpassing, New Years, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. During this 78 hour holiday period in 2009, 15 people were killed in Alabama automobile accidents, which is more than double the number from 2008 (6).

Many car accidents can be prevented if drivers will simply obey the speed limit and leave a safe distance between their vehicle and other vehicles on the roadway. We also want to encourage everyone to buckle up, which includes properly buckling up infants and toddlers. For information on how to properly secure your child in the car, please see the M&B Article Series on Child Safety Seats.

Lastly, before you hit the highway this weekend, please download our Accident Information Sheet for your glove box. This sheet sets forth all the important information you need to obtain and what you need to do if you happen to be involved in a wreck.