Transportation Secretary Slater Stresses Safety To More Than 54 Million Thanksgiving Travelers

Contact DOT 198-97 Roslyn Kaiser 202-366-5571 Susan Lapham 202-366-9913

Friday, November 28, 1997 -- U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater, saying that more Americans travel long distances during the Thanksgiving holiday period than at any other time of the year, today cautioned Americans to use utmost care as they return home from Thanksgiving holiday trips.

"Safety is President Clinton’s top transportation priority," Secretary Slater said. "During the two weeks surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday, nearly one in five people travel away from home, usually to be with family and friends. This huge travel surge underscores the importance of safety, and I urge everyone to drive carefully and buckle up on the return trip home."

The latest findings from the 1995 American Travel Survey (ATS), prepared by the department’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), reveal that more than 32 million travelers log more than 28 billion miles on America's transportation systems from Wednesday to Sunday of Thanksgiving week, accounting for about 3 percent of the miles traveled during the entire year.

According to BTS Director T. R. Lakshmanan, the busiest travel day of the year, by far, is the Sunday after Thanksgiving, when 13.7 million people -- over twice the average number -- are traveling.

Other facts about Thanksgiving travel include:

• An average of 560 of the 26 million travelers die in car crashes while driving a total of 15 billion miles during the peak Thanksgiving travel days (Wednesday through Sunday).
• During the peak Thanksgiving travel days, Americans make about 9.2 million car trips per day and 1.4 million air trips per day -- a 104 percent increase in car travel and a 34 percent increase in air travel compared to the annual average.
• About 83 percent of all Thanksgiving trips are by car and 15 percent are by air, compared with 81 percent by car and 16 percent by air on an average travel day.
• Thanksgiving trips tend to be shorter than average: 386 miles versus 414 miles one way. Car trips during the holiday average 281 miles one way, and air trips average 988 miles one way.
• Travel parties are larger during Thanksgiving: 2.6 persons versus 2.2 persons at other times of the year. In addition, Thanksgiving travel parties include more children: 42 percent versus 32 percent overall. The average age of Thanksgiving travelers is 36, compared with 38 for all travelers.
• Two out of three Thanksgiving travelers are visiting friends or relatives -- about double the number during the rest of the year; about 19 percent are traveling for leisure, which includes rest or relaxation, sightseeing, outdoor recreation, or entertainment. Only 7 percent of Thanksgiving travel is for business, one-third the average at other times of the year.
• Over three-fourths of Thanksgiving travelers spend an average of three nights away from home, with relatives or friends. About 20 percent stay in a hotel or motel.
• For about 2.9 million travelers (about 8 percent of all Thanksgiving travelers), the Thanksgiving trip is their only long-distance trip of the year.

More detailed information from the American Travel Survey about Thanksgiving travel is available from Susan Lapham, assistant director for surveys, at the Bureau of Transportation Statistics at ( 202) 366-9913 or via e-mail at susan.lapham@bts.gov. A fact sheet with further information can be obtained by faxing requests to (202) 366-3640 or by calling (202) 366-3282.

Other, non-holiday travel data from the American Travel Survey is available by visiting the BTS website at www.bts.gov/ats.