Be Careful Out On The Roads

For the past week, every local news channel has had a special report on travelling on the roads for the upcoming Fourth Of July holiday.  Each has had a different twist on their story - one talked about drunk drivers, one talked about the new hi-tech gadgets the police have in their cars, and almost every story mentioned how travellers will be faced with record high gas prices this weekend and next week.  I read an article online last night that gave the ten deadliest days of the year to drive.  Here they are:

1. July 4
2. July 3
3. December 23
4. August 3
5. January 1
6. August 6
7. August 4
8. August 12
9. July 2 
10. September 2

I can agree with most of them - there will be more people travelling on the roads the next few days than any other time of the year, so naturally, there will unfortunately be more accidents.  We all know that January 1 is New Years Day, and at about 2 or 3 in the morning, all of the drunks will attempt to drive home after partying for hours and hours.   December 23 makes sense to me, too - people are usually out rushing around from store to store doing their last minute shopping, and travellers will be out on the highways going to relatives homes for Christmas, so that date makes sense to.  But the dates in August make no sense to me.  It's the hottest part of the year - you'd think people would be at home in the a/c instead of out on the roads travelling.

In addition to the above dates, I think we need to add some more for people here in Louisville. Here's some very dangerous days to be out on the roads:

The Friday before Derby Day - more commonly known as Derby Eve.  Even if people aren't rich enough or lucky enough to attend the celebrity-studded parties that evening, they'll most likely be downtown at the Chow Wagon drinking.  And when they close the Chow Wagon at midnight, the partiers scatter and head to other waterhing holes for a few more hours.   There's also more people out on the roads this day because they'll be driving all over town to get to their bookies and give him or her their Derby bets.

April 15 - the day our income tax returns are due.  It's always funny to watch the 11:00 news on the night of April 15 to see the long lines of cars at the main branch of the post office as people drop off their income tax returns so they can be postmarked before midnight.  You don't want to be any where near our main post office, or really any post office for that matter, on April 15.

The day after Thanksgiving - this is the shopping day from hell.  I pity the unfortunate soul who has to go to work this Friday morning, because they will enounter all of the crazed bargain hunters racing all over the city to buy a VCR for $14.  It's one day you want to stay off the roads all day long. 

The hours following the end of Thunder Over Louisville - even if you're no where near the downtown water front, you'll still hit mega traffic because of the street closings downtown.  Trust me - I know what I'm talking about.  I know it makes no sense logistically but it's just something you have to accept and deal with. 

The evening of the first day of school - you do not want to be on any road that leads to a store that sells school supplies.  The majority of the people on the roads that evening will be people who did not get their kids' school supplies and have to make a mad dash to Target or Wal-Mart with thousands of other mothers and kids.   Never mind the parents received school supply shopping lists weeks earlier; for some reason they have to wait until the evening of the first day of school to make their pilgramage to the shopping meccas.  Avoid all travel on this day.  Venture out of you're brave enough, but stay away from any place that sells paper, pens, and pocket folders.