Millions drive to family gatherings and community celebrations during the holidays, and road safety may be the last thing on their minds. Distracted driving and speeding rates are higher on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day than on similar days, according to Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) data.
The week of Thanksgiving is especially treacherous, but Christmas and New Year’s also see increases in speeding and distracted driving. Drivers spend 68% more time speeding and 10.8% more time driving while distracted on Thanksgiving than on other Thursdays, per CMT data.
November had the highest total crash rate in 2023, at 207.92 crashes for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT), according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).1 December had the second-highest fatal crash rate, at 1.22 fatal crashes per 100 million VMT.
Causing a collision or even getting a speeding ticket can significantly affect car insurance rates, Insurify data shows. Drivers with an accident on their record pay about 30% more monthly for full-coverage car insurance than drivers with a clean record.
Given the rush and stress of the holidays, overlapping risks mean safe and defensive driving is especially important. Driving behavior varies by holiday and region, leaving drivers to face unique challenges depending on where they live and where they’re going.
For this analysis, CMT defines distracted driving as the time drivers spend interacting with phone screens. To compare distracted driving and speeding levels on similar days, CMT used the two corresponding days of the week before a holiday and two days after over a three-year period.
Key findings
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Thanksgiving eve sees only a 2% increase in distracted driving compared to similar days. Still, the heavy drinking that often occurs that night — sometimes called Blackout Wednesday — can compound driving risks and make roads extra dangerous. In 2023 alone, 30 drunk drivers were involved in fatal crashes on Thanksgiving eve.2
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On Christmas Day, speeding levels remain above normal every hour, peaking at 8 a.m. Distracted driving is up 7.1% overall and is highest between 8 a.m. and noon.
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Drivers are 7.9% more distracted overall on New Year’s Day, peaking at 20% more between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., when people are heading home from New Year’s Eve parties.
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Incidents over the holidays can lead to higher insurance premiums: Drivers with a DUI on their record pay about 51% more per month for full-coverage car insurance, Insurify data shows.
No thanks: Drivers spend 10.8% more time driving distracted on ‘Turkey Day’
More than 70 million people drive 50 miles or more during Thanksgiving week, according to AAA.3 Unfortunately, that high-traffic week — especially Wednesday night, Thanksgiving, and Friday — also includes a host of elevated road risks.
Thanksgiving outpaces Christmas and New Year’s when it comes to dangerous driving. It has the most significant increase in time drivers spend interacting with their phones and speeding compared to similar days, according to CMT’s analysis. On Thanksgiving, distracted driving surges by 10.8% and speeding by 68%.
Distracted driving is highest between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., at about 22.2% above a typical Thursday. While distraction levels are closer to normal after 1 p.m., they’re still about 17.1% higher than a typical Thursday between 4 and 5 p.m. Distracted driving remains higher than average until about 7 to 9 p.m., a time frame that sees higher rates on Thursdays in general.
Speeding is also significantly elevated on Thanksgiving, especially during periods when distracted driving levels are above normal, CMT data shows.
Levels remain higher than typical days throughout the day on Thanksgiving, even in the early hours from midnight to 7 a.m. From 6 to 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving, drivers speed 146.8% more than on similar days. And from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., speeding is up 104%. Around 4 p.m., drivers spend 175% more time speeding than on a typical Thursday.
Speeding is most elevated on Christmas and New Year’s between 6 and 9 a.m., at 119.5% and 89.5% higher, respectively, CMT data shows.
Distracted driving and speeding lead to traffic fatalities and injuries, data shows. Just a 5 mph difference in the speed at impact causes an 8% uptick in fatality rates on interstates and freeways and a 3% increase on other roadways, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).4
In 2023, 174 people died in drunk driving crashes between the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving Day and the following Monday morning, according to the NHTSA. Throughout the year, 3,275 people died and another 324,819 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers, according to the NHTSA.5 Another 11,775 people died and 332,398 were injured in speeding-related crashes.6
Alcohol use compounds road risks on Thanksgiving eve
Alcohol impairment presents another risk for Thanksgiving holiday motorists.
The night before Thanksgiving — which the NHTSA calls “Blackout Wednesday” — includes the added risk of increased alcohol use. Distracted driving spikes by just 2% on that day. But the tradition of young people reuniting with friends in bars the night before Thanksgiving has created one of the biggest drinking days of the year, and one of the most dangerous to drive.
Between 2019 and 2023, 149 alcohol-impaired drivers were involved in fatal crashes on the day before Thanksgiving, according to the NHTSA. Of those, 107 were male, and the most represented age groups were drivers aged 21 to 24 and 25 to 34. Federal prevention campaigns target young men with “Buzzed driving is drunk driving” messaging and encourage them to “plan a sober ride.”7
Speeding levels spike by 54.1% on Christmas Day
Just a few weeks after Thanksgiving, Christmas travelers take to the roads to visit friends and family. More than 100 million people drive 50 miles or more from the Saturday before Christmas through New Year’s Day, according to AAA.8
On Christmas Day, speeding levels are above normal during every hour of the day, CMT analysis shows. From 6 to 9 a.m., drivers spend 119.5% more time speeding than on similar days. Levels remain elevated at 87.1% above normal from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., before rising to 101.6% above normal from 3 to 4 p.m.
Distracted driving levels are up by 7.1% on Christmas Day compared to similar days, according to CMT data. Levels are highest from 8 a.m. to noon — when speeding levels are also most elevated — at 17.7% above normal. Distracted driving levels return to average or below average rates after 6 p.m.
Alcohol use compounds the risk, too. In 2022, 1,062 people died in drunk driving crashes in December, the most since 2007, according to the most recent data from the NHTSA.9
Rainy, misty, or icy conditions around Christmas pose another obstacle for speeding and distracted drivers. Around 12% of crashes per year, more than 700,000, are weather-related, according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).10 More than three-quarters (77%) are due to rain or mist conditions, and 18% are due to freezing precipitation.
In the early morning hours on New Year’s Day, drivers spend 30% more time distracted
New Year’s Eve can be a lethal combination of a late night out, celebratory drinking, and inclement weather.
In December 2023, 30% of drivers involved in fatal crashes from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. were drunk, according to the NHTSA.11 Almost half of the drivers involved in crashes from midnight to 3 a.m. were drunk. Road safety organizations urge even responsible drivers to drive carefully around the New Year’s holiday.
In 2022, traffic accidents killed 401 people on New Year’s Day, according to the National Safety Council.12 The early hours of the morning are particularly dangerous, CMT data shows.
Drivers are 7.9% more distracted overall while driving on New Year’s Day. But between 3 and 5 a.m., drivers are 30% more distracted than normal. Late afternoon also sees an increase in distracted driving, jumping to 14.6% more than similar days between 4 and 6 p.m.
Speeding follows a slightly different pattern. Compared to similar days, speeding is higher by an average of 26.7% on New Year’s Day.
Speeding is most elevated from 7 to 8 a.m., at 127% above average, according to CMT data. Levels remain higher than normal throughout the day, though they decrease until 5 p.m., when they start to rise again, like on a typical day.
The winter holiday with the highest spike in distracted driving in each state
While Thanksgiving has the highest rate of distracted driving nationwide, CMT data shows this trend can vary by state. In 31 states, Thanksgiving has the most significant increase in distracted driving. But, in 15 states, the most distracted holiday is Christmas Day, and for four states, it’s New Year’s Day.
“While the average daily commute on a typical day might be 25 miles on a familiar route, traveling on the holidays would typically be much longer, and on a route not taken as often or ever,” said Daniel Lucas, senior carrier partnerships manager at Insurify. “Longer drive times mean increasing the risk of an incident.”
Missouri, Minnesota, and Texas are among the states with the highest distracted driving levels on Thanksgiving
Traveling on or around Thanksgiving often means many short trips to see family and back, and possibly longer journeys to unfamiliar addresses. Drivers may need to interact with screens more to navigate on roads they aren’t used to, all in a rush to be on time for dinner.
States with large rural road networks, like Missouri, Minnesota, and Texas, may also have drivers traveling longer distances to get to family gatherings. Distraction can be hazardous on a dark, two-lane road: Rural roads have a higher fatality risk per mile than urban ones, according to the IIHS.13
Travel times push some of that driving into nighttime hours, when crash risk is elevated. Maximum speed limits also vary between states, and elevated levels of speeding are also a problem on Thanksgiving. Of these 31 states where distracted driving is most prevalent on Thanksgiving, 23 have posted maximum speed limits of 70 mph or higher, and 10 have limits of 75 mph or higher, according to the IIHS.14
The risk of deer collisions can also amplify the danger of distracted driving. November is a peak month for deer-vehicle crashes in Michigan, according to the Michigan State Police.15 Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and Virginia are also among the top 10 states for animal collisions, per a State Farm analysis.16
Christmas Day has the highest distracted driving levels in Hawaii, Montana, and 13 more states
In at least 15 states, Christmas Day holds many of the same travel challenges as Thanksgiving: trips to family or friends near or far, driving on unfamiliar roads, and navigating new areas.
For example, the December burst of tourism in Hawaii can lead to increased distracted driving as out-of-state visitors attempt to navigate new roads and conditions while taking in the beautiful scenery. In December 2024, the Hawaiian Islands had 910,055 visitors, up 5.5% from the prior year, according to Hawaii’s Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.17
Darkness falls even earlier around Christmas, and many states face a higher risk of icy winter weather. Most of these 15 states have a high risk index for ice storms, winter weather, or both, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.18
Each of the 15 states, except Hawaii, also has a maximum posted speed limit of 70 mph or higher, and six have limits of 75 mph or higher, according to the IIHS. Several states also have an alcohol-impaired driving fatality rate in the upper range, including Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, and Tennessee, according to the NHTSA.19
California and Florida are among the states where distracted driving levels are most elevated on New Year’s Day
Of these three holidays, just four states — Arizona, California, Florida, and New York — have the highest levels of distracted driving on New Year’s Day, CMT data shows.
Many of the same risks still apply, but the heavy drinking and late-night driving typical of New Year’s can make the dark, early hours of the morning or late afternoon drive home even more hazardous.
Out-of-towners remain a variable. Arizona reported more than 7 million non-resident overnight visitors over October, November, and December of 2024, per the Arizona Office of Tourism.20 Florida reported a record-breaking 33.1 million domestic and international visitors in the same period.21 New York City welcomes around 1 million visitors annually on New Year’s Eve.22
Why driving behavior influences insurance costs
Driving around the holidays presents additional risks to drivers and insurance companies, Lucas said.
“It’s not just one person out driving on an unfamiliar route and potentially distracted; millions of other drivers are experiencing the same thing,” he said. “Another driver might be the one presenting a risk. Heavy traffic can lead to heavy braking or require rapid acceleration.”
A person’s driving record is among the most significant individual factors affecting their car insurance costs. Drivers with a DUI pay nearly $100 more per month than the average U.S. driver for full-coverage car insurance, according to Insurify data.
One’s driving record affects insurance rates. Actuarial data shows that drivers with a history of collisions and violations are more likely to be involved in future accidents, according to a report from the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) and the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I).23
Some states even prohibit insurers from using certain variables to set insurance rates. For example, in California, insurers must use a person’s driving record, annual mileage, and years of driving experience. They may also use some other optional rating factors. But insurers can’t use gender or credit as rating factors.
How telematics can help
Telematics data makes it even easier for insurers to accurately price insurance for individual driver risk, helping drivers save hundreds of dollars per year in some cases. It can also make roads safer. As the cost of collecting telematics data declines, insurers are moving toward using this kind of data, per CAS and Triple-I.
In a large-scale CMT study, the riskiest drivers who engaged with their telematics program improved hard braking by 9%, cut speeding by 27%, and reduced phone distraction by 20% in just three months. Those improvements lowered their chances of a crash with a bodily injury by 5.5%, Matt Fiorentino, vice president of marketing at CMT, told Insurify.
“As more people join telematics programs powered by CMT, the roads get safer,” he said. “Most drivers don’t realize how often they speed or use their phone until they see the data. But, once they do, they improve, lowering their crash risk.”
That effect can also help make roads safer over the holidays when multiple hazards compound risk.
“Road dangers spike during the holidays. People are texting with friends and family, sending updates, or replying about arrival times — and that fuels distraction,” Fiorentino said. “Add higher speeds, and it’s a deadly mix. Road safety insights help drivers focus on what they can control: Put down the phone, ease off the gas, and stay present on the road. We hope these insights help more people arrive safely so they can enjoy the holidays with their loved ones.”
Tips: How to stay safe on the roads during the holidays
Whether it’s distracted driving or speeding, drivers may face several challenges on the road during the holiday season. Planning ahead and taking common-sense measures can mean the difference between safety and danger, as well as higher insurance costs in the new year.
“Driving responsibly and defensively is one of the most effective ways to protect yourself, your passengers, and others on the road, especially during the busy holiday season,” said Mallory Mooney, director of sales and service at Insurify.
“Historically, insurers see an increase in risky driving behaviors during this time, from speeding and hard braking to distracted driving,” she said. “If you’re found at fault in an accident, even if it’s just property damage, you could see a significant increase in your insurance premiums at renewal.”
Road safety organizations recommend several measures to ensure drivers and passengers get home safely. The NHTSA advises using public transportation or scheduling a ride in advance if anyone will be drinking. AAA operates Tow to Go, a free ride program for AAA members, in 11 states, but calling a taxi or a friend is also better than driving buzzed.
Winterizing vehicles, driving during off-peak times, always wearing a seat belt, and reducing screen and other distractions can all help facilitate road safety.
“Staying alert, giving yourself extra time, and avoiding distractions can go a long way in keeping everyone safe,” Mooney said. “Just as importantly, these decisions help ensure you don’t become part of the problem on the road.”
Methodology
Insurify partnered with Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) on this report about driving behavior and car insurance costs. Insurify’s team of data scientists examined more than 97 million quotes in its proprietary database, quoted via integrations with partnering insurance companies, to determine average car insurance rates. Rates reflect the average annual cost of a full-coverage car insurance policy (up to $50,000 in bodily injury liability coverage per person and $100,000 per accident, a $50,000 property damage limit, and a $1,000 deductible for both comprehensive and collision coverage).
For this analysis, CMT used screen interaction as a measure of distracted driving. Screen interaction means any physical interaction with the phone’s screen, which can include everything from writing an email or text message to using an app, entering a phone number, playing a game, and more. CMT defines speeding as driving 9.3 mph or more above the posted speed limit for at least 300 feet. To determine levels of distraction and speeding compared to similar days, CMT compared the same day of the week one and two weeks before and one and two weeks after in 2022, 2023, and 2024.