Most Dangerous Places for Christmas Travel

Historically, the Christmas holiday has been one of the busiest travel seasons in the United States, and this Christmas, experts are predicting record-breaking travel volume. According to projections from AAA, 122.4 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home between December 20, 2025 and January 1, 2026, a 2.2% increase from the previous high of 119.7 million, set in 2024. The vast majority of year-end vacationers will travel by car – and more cars on the road means greater opportunity for motor-vehicle accidents. 

In the United States, holidays account for a disproportionate share of fatal roadway incidents. A study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that the daily fatal crash rate was 17% higher than average during the six major holiday periods of New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. According to the NHTSA, there have been 1,475 fatal crashes nationwide during the Christmas holiday in the last five years alone.

In much of the country, an influx of holiday travelers is not the only additional risk motorists face during the Christmas season. According to the Federal Highway Administration, nearly 70% of the U.S. population live in regions that report over five inches of snow per year. Winter weather conditions in late December can close lanes, limit visibility, reduce vehicle maneuverability, and greatly increase the likelihood of an accident. FHWA data shows that more than 2,000 Americans are killed each year in vehicle crashes when it is sleeting, snowing, or the pavement is icy – and another 192,800 are injured. 

Each year, some states stand out as statistically more dangerous for Christmas travelers than others – and perhaps counterintuitively, hazardous weather conditions are rarely a factor in many of these places. 

Using data from the NHTSA’s Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool, Climate Crisis 247 identified the most dangerous states for Christmas travel. We reviewed data on the number of fatal crashes reported in each state between December 20 and December 31 over the 15 years from 2009 to 2023. We adjusted the total number of fatal roadway crashes during these periods to the number of licensed drivers in each state as of 2022, using data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Only the 10 states with the most fatal crashes for every 100,000 drivers during the Christmas season were considered in this analysis. 

Among the 10 states on this list, the number of deadly crashes during the Christmas holiday ranges from 9.0 for every 100,000 drivers, to 12.7 per 100,000. For context, the comparable nationwide fatal crash rate is 6.6 per 100,000. 

Notably, the states on this list are overwhelmingly concentrated in the South. In these states, hazardous winter roadway conditions are far less common than they are in other parts of the country. Indeed, in five of the 10 states on this list, snow, ice, or sleet were not a factor in any fatal roadway incident during the Christmas season in the last 15 years. 

10. Florida

• 15-year Christmas season fatal crash rate: 9.0 deadly crashes per 100,000 drivers
• Total fatal crashes during Christmas season, 2009-2023: 1,477 (0.0% involved winter weather conditions)
• State-level fatalities and drivers as share of U.S. total: 9.5% of all fatal crashes during Christmas (7.0% of all licensed drivers)
• Worst year for fatal crashes in Christmas season, 2009-2023: 2020 (120 fatal crashes)

9. West Virginia

• 15-year Christmas season fatal crash rate: 9.1 deadly crashes per 100,000 drivers
• Total fatal crashes during Christmas season, 2009-2023: 104 (3.8% involved winter weather conditions)
• State-level fatalities and drivers as share of U.S. total: 0.7% of all fatal crashes during Christmas (0.5% of all licensed drivers)
• Worst year for fatal crashes in Christmas season, 2009-2023: 2022 (12 fatal crashes)

8. Arkansas

• 15-year Christmas season fatal crash rate: 9.2 deadly crashes per 100,000 drivers
• Total fatal crashes during Christmas season, 2009-2023: 213 (0.0% involved winter weather conditions)
• State-level fatalities and drivers as share of U.S. total: 1.4% of all fatal crashes during Christmas (1.0% of all licensed drivers)
• Worst year for fatal crashes in Christmas season, 2009-2023: 2016 (23 fatal crashes)

7. Alabama

• 15-year Christmas season fatal crash rate: 9.7 deadly crashes per 100,000 drivers
• Total fatal crashes during Christmas season, 2009-2023: 398 (0.3% involved winter weather conditions)
• State-level fatalities and drivers as share of U.S. total: 2.6% of all fatal crashes during Christmas (1.7% of all licensed drivers)
• Worst year for fatal crashes in Christmas season, 2009-2023: 2021 (41 fatal crashes)

6. Kentucky

• 15-year Christmas season fatal crash rate: 9.8 deadly crashes per 100,000 drivers
• Total fatal crashes during Christmas season, 2009-2023: 292 (1.0% involved winter weather conditions)
• State-level fatalities and drivers as share of U.S. total: 1.9% of all fatal crashes during Christmas (1.3% of all licensed drivers)
• Worst year for fatal crashes in Christmas season, 2009-2023: 2014 (34 fatal crashes)

5. South Carolina

• 15-year Christmas season fatal crash rate: 10.0 deadly crashes per 100,000 drivers
• Total fatal crashes during Christmas season, 2009-2023: 411 (0.0% involved winter weather conditions)
• State-level fatalities and drivers as share of U.S. total: 2.6% of all fatal crashes during Christmas (1.7% of all licensed drivers)
• Worst year for fatal crashes in Christmas season, 2009-2023: 2021 (41 fatal crashes)

4. Louisiana

• 15-year Christmas season fatal crash rate: 10.1 deadly crashes per 100,000 drivers
• Total fatal crashes during Christmas season, 2009-2023: 343 (0.0% involved winter weather conditions)
• State-level fatalities and drivers as share of U.S. total: 2.2% of all fatal crashes during Christmas (1.4% of all licensed drivers)
• Worst year for fatal crashes in Christmas season, 2009-2023: 2023 (28 fatal crashes)

3. Oklahoma

• 15-year Christmas season fatal crash rate: 10.6 deadly crashes per 100,000 drivers
• Total fatal crashes during Christmas season, 2009-2023: 270 (4.1% involved winter weather conditions)
• State-level fatalities and drivers as share of U.S. total: 1.7% of all fatal crashes during Christmas (1.1% of all licensed drivers)
• Worst year for fatal crashes in Christmas season, 2009-2023: 2019 (28 fatal crashes)

2. New Mexico

• 15-year Christmas season fatal crash rate: 10.7 deadly crashes per 100,000 drivers
• Total fatal crashes during Christmas season, 2009-2023: 161 (6.8% involved winter weather conditions)
• State-level fatalities and drivers as share of U.S. total: 1.0% of all fatal crashes during Christmas (0.6% of all licensed drivers)
• Worst year for fatal crashes in Christmas season, 2009-2023: 2017 (15 fatal crashes)

1. Mississippi

• 15-year Christmas season fatal crash rate: 12.7 deadly crashes per 100,000 drivers
• Total fatal crashes during Christmas season, 2009-2023: 259 (0.0% involved winter weather conditions)
• State-level fatalities and drivers as share of U.S. total: 1.7% of all fatal crashes during Christmas (0.9% of all licensed drivers)
• Worst year for fatal crashes in Christmas season, 2009-2023: 2013 (23 fatal crashes)