Thanksgiving is expected to break travel records again in 2025, with AAA predicting 81.8 million Americans on roads, airports and highways.
But behind the familiar narrative of family gatherings and heavy holiday traffic lies a much more troubling reality: A small group of American highways are establishing themselves as the most dangerous places to drive during the Thanksgiving season.
A new analysis of national traffic crash data from 2004 to 2023, combined with traffic fatality records, identifies the roads with the nation’s highest number of Thanksgiving deaths.
The results show a clear concentration of danger in California, Florida and Louisiana, where the country’s most congested and unstable travel routes converge on Thanksgiving.
Millar Law Firm’s report on these traffic patterns shows that it’s not just Thanksgiving that’s busy. On certain routes they can be significantly deadly.
Key findings
California’s I-15 in San Bernardino County recorded 11 deaths on Thanksgiving, the highest number of any American highway.
Florida’s SR-85 and California’s I-5 and I-605 each recorded 10 deaths on Thanksgiving.
Louisiana’s I-10 in Ascension Parish recorded 9 deaths despite serving a much smaller population.
Nationwide, 2,456 deaths were recorded during Thanksgiving travel periods (2018-2022), making it the second deadliest holiday after Labor Day.
On average, there are 123 traffic fatalities per day in the U.S. on holidays, compared to 108 on non-holiday days.
Pedestrians account for 21% of traffic fatalities during Thanksgiving, the highest proportion of any holiday.
Black Friday contributes to a 34% increase in accident rates, the largest single-day increase of the entire holiday season.
Why California, Florida and Louisiana dominate Thanksgiving danger ratings.
These three states have a combination of factors that make their major corridors the highest risk roads in the U.S. during Thanksgiving week.
1. Large population + large travel volume
California and Florida are two of the most populous states in the country and both see high demand for domestic travel this Thanksgiving.
Southern California’s highway system transports millions of vehicles through the Inland Empire, the Los Angeles Basin and San Diego County.
Florida’s coastal corridors, departure zones and theme park routes become tourist attractions during the holidays.
Louisiana serves as an important east-west and north-south route for travel in the Gulf, particularly along I-10.
A high population does not automatically mean a high number of accidents, but it does mean a high volume of traffic with short travel times.
2. High-speed corridors face traffic jams on public holidays
Thanksgiving Day Trip Combinations:
Speeds on highways
Dense traffic jams with frequent starts and stops
Changing lanes due to unknown or tired drivers
This combination is more intense in:
I-15 (CA)
I-5 (CA)
I-605 (CA)
I-10 (LA)
SR-85 (FL)
The result: serious deaths that repeat themselves year after year.
3. Coastal regions and regions with large tourist influxes have unpredictable driving behavior
During the holidays, drivers share the road:
Tourists from other states
Families are leaving theme parks or coastal towns
Drivers who are distracted, tired or in a hurry
Holiday traffic, including drunk drivers
In Florida, tourist-intensive counties such as Okaloosa, Indian River and Pinellas are at the top of the danger rating despite comparatively smaller populations.
4. Weather increases risk in Western and Gulf states
Experience California’s desert corridors (I-15, I-8):
Glare
sudden wind
Dust storm patterns during the holidays
Night driving with low lighting
Louisiana faces:
Fog
High volume of truck traffic
Intense reflux during celebrations
Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays where weather and heavy traffic collide on long-distance routes.
A Closer Look at America’s Deadliest Thanksgiving Day Roads
**1. I-15, San Bernardino County, California
11 deaths on Thanksgiving Day**
Population: 2.20 million
This corridor carries Las Vegas-bound traffic, desert traffic, outlet shoppers and a heavy flow of trucks. Excessive speed and lane changing are the main causes of collisions.
**2 SR-85, Condado de Okaloosa, FL
10 deaths**
Population: 220,000
Despite the smaller population, the route connects tourist and military regions and creates waves of unpredictable travel.
**3. I-5 and I-605, Los Angeles County, CA
10 deaths each**
Population: 9.73 million
Heavy Thanksgiving Day traffic congestion, erratic merging, distracted driving and heavy mall traffic are creating an unprecedented accident environment in the country.
**4. I-10, Parish of Ascent, THE
9 deaths**
Population: 132,000
I-10 is a major artery on the Gulf Coast where long-haul travelers and locals meet during the holidays.
5. Additional death groups: CA, FL, LA, GA
Routes I-8 (Imperial County, CA), SR-91 (Indian River County, FL), and US-19 (Pinellas County, FL) each recorded 9 fatalities during the Thanksgiving season.
National Overview: Why Thanksgiving Travel Is Dangerous Everywhere.
Thanksgiving is the second deadliest holiday in the United States, surpassed only by Labor Day. Between 2018 and 2022, the following were recorded during the Thanksgiving period:
2456 deaths
More deaths than at Christmas (1662)
There are six deaths per hour on Thanksgiving Day alone
Other national risk patterns include:
123 deaths per day during the holidays
38% of deaths are due to drunk driving
31% were due to speeding
13% more heavy braking during Thanksgiving week
10% more phone usage as drivers navigate traffic, maps and messages
And while Thanksgiving is dangerous across the country, the greatest risk isn’t on Thanksgiving. Now available:
Departures on Wednesday
Traffic jams in shopping centers on Black Friday
Sudden increase in travel on Sunday
Expert commentary
“The data makes one fact clear: The U.S. Thanksgiving travel crisis is not evenly distributed. It is heavily concentrated in a few routes in California, Florida and Louisiana and experiences enormous traffic volumes during the holiday.
The combination of long journeys, heavy congestion, fatigue and high levels of drunk driving result in corridors where fatal accidents become tragically predictable.
“Travellers who understand which roads pose the highest risk can better plan their trips and avoid the most dangerous times of the holidays.”
methodology
This analysis is based on National Safety Council fatality records, FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) Thanksgiving accident data from 2004 to 2023, AAA travel forecasts for 2025, and historical Thanksgiving accident numbers by route.
Georgia-specific comparisons were supplemented with statewide crash numbers from 2020 to 2025.
Source: The Millar Law Firm’s – The Millar Law Firm