I-15 Freeway in San Bernardino County Named Deadliest Roadway During Thanksgiving Holiday Travel

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. (VVNG.com) — According to the latest research, the I-15 freeway in San Bernardino County was named the deadliest roadway during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period.

Last year, more than 49 million Americans hit the road for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, according to the National Safety Council, it’s one of the most dangerous driving holidays in the United States.

Using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, researchers at TruckInfo.net found that from 2003 to 2022 the following roadways had the most fatalities during Thanksgiving:

Researchers also found that drunk driving was a major issue at the national level, with 33% of fatalities involving a driver over the legal limit.

Despite Uber and Lyft helping to reduce alcohol-related traffic fatalities by 6.1%, drunk driving remains an issue on Thanksgiving – likely because most rideshare drivers are spending time with their families over the holidays.

According to the data, Los Angeles County had 255 fatalities, Maricopa County in Arizona had 160 fatalities, Harris County in Texas had 123 fatalities, and San Bernardino County had 112 fatalities.

The data also reported that the state of California in 2022, had 73 fatalities followed by Florida at 67 and Texas at 55.

While large states like California, Texas, and Florida have the most total driving fatalities during Thanksgiving, West Virginia and Mississippi have the most fatalities per capita, by a wide margin – both nearly 50% higher than the next state.

While 2005 to 2011 saw a meaningful decline in fatalities, progress has stalled and moved in the other direction – with fatalities up nearly 38% from the 20-year low.

The American Automobile Association projected that 79.9 million travelers will head to destinations at least 50 miles from their homes over the Thanksgiving holiday travel period in 2024.

The Thanksgiving holiday period was defined as the Wednesday before Thanksgiving through the Sunday afterward. Unless otherwise noted, all fatality statistics are the sum of total fatalities from 2003 to 2022 (the most recent data available) and population data is from 2022.