The Best and Worst Times for Holiday Driving

If you plan to do most of your holiday driving on the 23rd, 24th, and 27th this year, you're totally screwed!

Until I moved to Iowa, I never had to worry about any of these holiday driving statistics. Now I'm freaking out. When the show ends today, I'll be on my way back to Michigan for a looooong 8 hour drive. According to these stats, it's going to be even longer than that! The 23rd is one of the WORST traffic days of the year. They say that if you plan on driving today, it needs to be before 11am. 3-6pm is the prime time where rush hour meets holiday traffic, and it's sure to be brutal. It was also reported that last year there were 19.78% more accidents, which is more than any other holiday travel day of the year.

Christmas Eve isn't any better! You better get to your destination before noon, otherwise you could be stuck in traffic until the late evening.

The Sunday AFTER Christmas is also pretty terrible. Last year there was an 88% increase in traffic jams and a 14% increase in accidents! That's also the biggest day for cops to be out on the roads. If you MUST drive on the 27th, try to avoid driving between 2-6pm, because that's the #1 WORST time to be out.

On the other hand, the BEST travel days are on Christmas Day and the Monday after Christmas, the 28th. That Monday is also a big day for cops, though, so be careful!

[Via The Chive/Thrillist]