Dangerous Holiday Driving

If you’re planning to be out and about on U.S. roadways this Labor Day holiday weekend, take extra care. The roadways can be deadly depending on where you live.

As a NH resident the following headline sure got my interest. More details were needed like who, what, where did this info come from?

New Hampshire Found Most Dangerous Place in America to Drive on Labor Day

This headline was read in a recent copy in the Hudson Times, a weekly area paper. The article stated that per data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), NH leads the country with the highest Labor Day driving fatality rate, 17.09 incidents per 100,000 residents.

Being a somewhat curious and skeptical person, and a former reporter, I needed to learn more, so (once again) fell into the rabbit hole of online sleuthing. There certainly is a lot of information available. What I learned was interesting, but often contradictory .

That newspaper article stated that research had been compiled by a law office based on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to determine the states safest for holiday drivers. This firm is based in Waterbury, CT, and other locations in that state, handling immigration and personal injury.

According to the article, the top five deadliest states for Labor Day driving ranked by road fatalities per 100,000 population were: New Hampshire (17.09), Wyoming (9.72), Arkansas (7.86), New Mexico (6.71) and Mississippi (6.31). It further stated (not sure why) that Easter was not the deadliest driving day in Wyoming, and that it was Father's Day was the deadliest holiday in third-ranked Arkansas.

Seeking further confirmation online, I typed in various searched using words like: Labor Day weekend auto injuries and fatalities. That brought up a slew of websites of legal firms with auto fatality statistics on this holiday weekend and others too.

These websites were not only in CT, but also DE, TX and PA and other states, nearly all specializing in — that’s right — liability and personal injury; none from NH. (No firms will be named here, information can be assessed online.)

Here's what I learned from a few of these sites.

Folks living live in Mississippi should be extra cautious on Labor Day weekend. One site named it first for highest traffic fatalities due to factors like low seatbelt usage and extensive cell phone use while driving. This site also listed higher Labor Day holiday fatalities in South Carolina, Alabama, Wyoming (relative to its population) and New Mexico (rural roads and less access to trauma centers).

The website of another legal firm listed Montana as having a high fatality rate per capita on Labor Day weekend. The states of Wyoming and Mississippi made that list too.

This site also listed the five safest states for Labor Day driving (ranked by fatalities per 100,000 residents): Hawaii (0.99), Massachusetts (1.00), Rhode Island (1.28), Utah (1.63), New York (1.80).

Another site also named New Mexico as the most dangerous state to drive in on Labor Day weekend. Furthermore, the state was cited as having the most pedestrian fatalities per capita and the fourth-most speeding fatalities. I could not completely verify this claim.

And, that site's rundown for the 10 most dangerous states in order after New Mexico were: Mississippi, Wyoming, South Carolina, Arizona, Montana, Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama and Arkansas. (It claimed that Mississippi has the highest U.S. fatality (24.57 per 100,000). Again, just the site's information.

The study listed the 10 safest holiday driving states as: New York (again), Massachusetts, Utah, Hawaii, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Minnesota, D.C., New Hampshire (after being named the worst in another study?) and Connecticut.

A PA-based legal firm claimed that more people would die in motor vehicle accidents on Labor Day than other day with the exception of Independence Day.

That firm cited its study, Safest and Most Dangerous States to Drive for Labor Day Weekend, based on data available from the NHTSA, FBI and Census Bureau, naming New Mexico and Mississippi as the most dangerous states to drive in.  The safest state to drive on the Labor Day holiday was said to be New York (based on info from NY accident attorney lawyers). 

Here’s the same site's rundown for the 10 most dangerous states in order: New Mexico, Mississippi, Wyoming, South Carolina, Arizona, Montana, Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama and Arkansas. (It claimed that Mississippi has the highest U.S. fatality (24.57 per 100,000). Again, just the site's contention.

The study listed the 10 safest holiday driving states as: New York (again), Massachusetts,

Utah, Hawaii, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Minnesota, D.C., New Hampshire (after being named the worst in another study?) and Connecticut.

Confusing?  Yes, because of these widespread variations and there's more.

There was also information from the car accident experts at Auto Accident Team. It was listed as a free service compiling information for those seeking legal relief for auto accidents in AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MI, MO, TX. According to the site, this was not a law firm or lawyer referral service and did not provide legal advice or endorse law firms in its network.

What state did the site list as the most dangerous? 

Ready or not, it was Vermont. The Auto Accident Team experts claimed to have analyzed 9 years of fatal crash data (2013-2022) from the NHTSA, which lead to it naming Vermont, especially on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, when crashes were 58% above the state’s average, four weeks before and after Labor Day.

This site's top 10 dangerous holiday driving states in order of ranking were: Kansas (especially on Friday), Delaware (largest increase of drunk driving fatal crashes on Labor Day weekend), New Mexico (second highest increase in drunk driving, nationally), Oklahoma (with fatal crashes increasing by 29% over the weekend), Iowa (with an increase of 28%), Alaska, West Virginia, Wyoming and Idaho completed the list with increases from 26 to 23%.

The safest state named to drive on Labor Day weekend was Hawaii with a 16% decrease in fatal crashes. It’s one of 11 states with a holiday accident decrease and has the fourth lowest increase in drunk driving rates on Labor Day weekend.

Another online article labelled the states of Wyoming, Montana and Mississippi as the most dangerous states for Labor Day weekend driving. While, the site conceded that the majority of fatalities occur in urban areas, these three states were named as the most dangerous — with nearly three times as many fatalities per capita as the U.S. as a whole. 

It also listed Massachusetts, New Jersey and Washington as having the least holiday driving fatalities.

Analyzing data from several years ago (2017–2021), the NHTSA found that states of California, Texas and Florida had the highest rate of Labor Day accidents and fatalities due to population and number of cars. However, states like Montana and Wyoming have higher accident rates per capita (based on the number of residents).

While the majority of fatalities occur in urban areas. Wyoming, Montana, and Mississippi were listed quite often as the most dangerous states for driving with nearly three times as many fatalities per capita as the U.S. as a whole. On the flip side, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington were listed as having the fewest driving fatalities.

I don't know which state is the most dangerous/safest for motorists this upcoming holiday weekend. So many legal firms have online articles and data about holiday auto accidents and fatalities and not all (very few) agree.

What are some contributing factors?

According to a website, which quoted a high-level spokesperson for the Automobile Association of America (AAA), Labor Day caps off summer travel and provides a final holiday weekend before the fall routine begins. And, while some people are going on cruises or far-off vacations, many otherss are staying closer to home and taking road trips to nearby beaches or national parks.

The AAA website didn't include estimates for how many travelers are expected on roadways driving on the Labor Day holiday weekend. However, it noted that two recent 2025 holidays, Memorial Day and July 4, had record number of motorists on the roadways.

What makes Labor Day a dangerous time to drive?

Traditionally, summer holidays have the highest number of U.S. auto fatality rates. Many Americans celebrate Labor Day as the end of summer leading to higher road traffic and increased chances of accidents through factors such as: Impaired driving, heavy traffic and traffic congestion, speeding, fatigue and drowsy driving and increased nighttime driving.

Is Labor Day weekend the deadliest driving holiday in the U.S.?

I'm uncertain as the answer depends on which website, study or statistical data is believed to be the most creditable.

Several law firm sites and the ASC rated Independence Day (July 4) as the most dangerous day to be on the road followed by Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Other sites listed the deadliest driving holidays as Thanksgiving, New Year’s Day and Memorial Day. The popular holiday of Christmas was not listed as the most dangerous holiday for driving on most sites.

After reading through so many online data and statistics, it seems that the most dangerous state to drive on any holiday depends on so many factors: population, number of drivers and more. And, of course, the actions of the driver.

That said, we’re not taking any chances being on the roadways this Labor Day weekend.

Instead, we'll stay home enjoying outdoor walks or visiting friends in the mill apartments. We're not taking any changes that NH could be one of the most dangerous states to drive on Labor Day weekend. 

We hope that all fellow U.S. bloggers and motorists everywhere enjoy a safe holiday too.

We Went "Peopling"

Tis true, we've been off on a(nother) road trip the past week and a half. Unlike previous ones, this trip was to visit with people not to see places. Not just any folks, but the best type — family and long-time friends, many most of whom we hadn't seen in awhile.

Faces of family & friends visited in NJ and PA

We traveled to our home state of NJ, then to PA, and back to NJ before returning to NH.

My brother, Tony and wife, Anita, long-time friend, Margaret, and us in NJ

Our first NJ visit was to long-time friend, Margaret, a neighbor of my late parents. She celebrated her 94th birthday this past June. We spent a wonderful visit at her home before going to lunch with my brother, Anthony (Tony) and sister-in-law, Anita. We also visited Virginia, shown in the top right collage photo, an amazing 93 years young who knew my late. She and Margaret are friends who talk every evening.

Tony my "baby" brother is three years younger than myself and my only sibling.

Long time NJ friends, Jill & Art

Another NJ visit was with longtime friends Jill and Art. Jill and myself were co-workers over 25 years ago and we have maintained a now long-distance friends. 

Even longer friends, Sara & David in PA

An even longer friendship is that of Sara and David, fellow NJ natives, who now live in New Holland near Lancaster, PA. A highlight of our get togethers is to take a group shot followed by separate photo pairings. It's always fun the next time we see each another to compare pics from the previous time(s). My friendship with Sara predates her marriage; we attended high school together in NJ, many years ago.

This PA hotel is a steamboat-type accommodation on land

One of the most unique lodging experiences in Lancaster, PA, is at the Fulton Steamboat Inn, a steamboat environment on land in unique nautical or Victorian themed guest rooms. This was our accommodations thanks to a gift certificate received last holiday season from PA family members.

Why is a steamboat in the middle of Lancaster County, PA?

It's because Robert Fulton, the man credited with developing the idea of propelling boats by steam, was born in 1765 in a small farmhouse a few miles south of this location. 

In 1807, Fulton teamed with another engineer, and they designed and constructed the first successful steam powered ship, The Clermont. Fulton is credited with turning the steamboat into a commercial success and transforming transportation history.

Faces of youngest granddaughter

Our PA visit was to spend time with the youngest granddaughter. We were looking forward to seeing her play soccer on Saturday morning, but she didn't play.

We shared grandparent time 

While this was basically an indoors visit, sometimes those can be fun with game playing, coloring, story reading and naps too. 

This road trip was a busy one with many visits. As much as we enjoy seeing new places, there's nothing better than spending time with family and friends. We're sure you agree.

Ready to Go

Thanks for all the safe travel comments in last week's post about our road trip. We're out on the road by the time of this post. First stop was an overnight in Williamsport, PA before arriving in OH for Hamvention®, an event for ham radio operators worldwide. 

Traveling light?

NO, we're not traveling with this much stuff, no RV, bikes or kayaks. We're using a larger version of the Jeep shown. Grenville's 2004 Jeep Cherokee was packed with ham radio gear and our suitcases. Lodging will be in hotels along the way (preferably Hampton Inn when available). We rotate our two Jeeps for travel. Last year's cross-country trip was completed in my 2007 Jeep Liberty. 

We're looking forward to meeting a couple of fellow bloggers who provided their contact information. We also expect to visit family in GA and FL. Anyone living in states along our route who would like to meet-up (if our plans and yours coincide) is also welcome to contact me by email which we will be checking daily. States we expect to see are listed in this post.

I'll be sharing our road adventures by posting from places along the way, but not daily. And, I will try to keep as current as possible in reading your posts, as often as possible.

We're glad to have you travel along with us, even if you're not sharing the driving with Grenville. (I'm not even doing that.)

Temporarily Unavailable

That describes what we will be for the next couple of weeks. We'll be on the road and often without internet access or free time which means no time to blog or read fellow bloggers posts. I pre-scheduled a couple of posts about recent outings/events.

What's happening?

We're on the road (again) and this trip includes going to the VA eastern shore to check on our house and hopefully do clearing out. GOOD news is that a few weeks ago we (finally) received a contract that we accepted after several years of trying to sell The Frog & Penguinn. (Did I mention it's in a small town of about 500 residents?) There are some inspections to be done and we'll need to dispose of furnishings and other items, so we will be kept quite busy. 

Of course, details will be provided when (hopefully) everything is settled and we are (finally) no longer home owners. (It's all good as we really enjoy our mill apt in NH and living in new England especially.)

Bit, there will also be some fun side trips . . .

We're going to Washington, DC to attend the USAF band holiday concert at DAR Constitution Hall. We'll be visiting long-time friends who live outside the city and going to the event together. Tickets were free online — yeah!

Another stop will be in PA to attend youngest granddaughter Lillian's 1st birthday celebration. Last holiday season we were in PA for her birth.

We hope that all your holiday plans are going well and that you're not getting over stressed with shopping and other preparations. Looking forward to visiting online with everyone when we return to Nashua, NH. 

This year, we're celebrating Christmas "at home." 

Beatrice & Grenville

Here, There and in VA

This post is advance notice of our road trip. We wish it was all fun, but some is not. I've done some advance blog posts for your entertainment, including a couple of Friday Funnies as they are such fun.

The ability to read and comment on other blogs will be somewhat limited. It's because there's no Internet service at our VA house which we're going to check on it and also, very importantly, to change realtors. 

That's where we'll be all next week.

The fun part is this weekend when we celebrate our granddaughter's birthday in RI. It will be great to enjoy family time before conducting the not fun house stuff. 

We had hoped that this blog's namesake, The Frog & Penguinn, would have a new owner by now. It's a 10 hour drive from NH and we're back on the VA eastern shore every 6 months. The trip includes an overnight in our native NJ. Thankfully, there's friends to visit in both states, so the trip does have its merits. 

Yes, there's been a couple of recent offers, just not the right ($) ones. We're willing to bargain within a reasonable range, but when an offer is $50,000 lower . . . ???

While it's been said that two are better than one, lately we're not so sure about that statement.

WHY? 
There's two St. Joseph statues buried in the front and back yards, no kidding, and the house is still unsold. If you're not familiar with this practice, check online and YouTube, both have info about it. We bought one of the statues a few years ago; the other was a gift from apartment neighbors and former homeowners here in NH. 

We're keeping our hopes (and prayers) up. 

American Classic

It's long been recognized as the iconic American sports car with styling so unique that it's always easily recognized — the Corvette by General Motors. It's the only car that's been in production for nearly 60 years (and still counting). The first one rolled off the Flint, Michigan Chevrolet factory assembly line in June 1953.

The Corvette was created by GM designer Harley Earl in 1951. He was inspired by European sports cars and wanted an American counterpart to compete and win on the race track. The first model was a convertible introduced at the 1953  GM Motorama. (This discontinued auto stage show was run by that GM from 1949-1961 to show off concept and/or prototype cars.) 

Myron Scott, creator of the all-American soap box derby, is credited with naming the car when he as working for GM which anted a non-animal name starting with the letter "c." The name "corvette" was taken from a line of small, but fast Navy warships used in World War II.

While on a weekend trip to PA to attend a story-telling festival (more on that later), we saw nearly a dozen of these classics.
No, we didn't go to a cruisin' car show on this trip. Instead, during our weekend stay at a Holiday Inn, these Corvettes greeted our parking lot arrival. 

Their owners were a group of 60+ drivers who obviously did not let years stand in the way of having fun. They drove these beauties from Michigan to PA to visit Gettysburg National Military park and various points in between.

The Corvette was originally built in Flint, MI, and St. Louis, MO. The cars are now manufactured in a dedicated Corvette manufacturing facility in Bowling Green, KY. The Corvette is the official sports car of KY. 

We talked to a few of the owners who told us they enjoyed driving these cars on long trips, adding that they were always garage-kept when home. After all, it does get cold and snowy in Michigan.

Between the first and most current Corvette, about 1.5 million have been made in the US and sold worldwide. (No, Grenville, isn't planning to buy one, but I did catch him smiling as he watched these cars leave the hotel.)

America's Newest Steam Engine

On our way home from Gettysburg we visited the Northern Central Railroad in New Freedom Pa. The Steam Into History organization has a large section of the original tracks of this road. Originally laid as a double track railroad in the 1850's, only one track still exists while the rest of the road bed is used as a bike/walking trail. There is no fence or guard rails between the trains and the bikers. I asked the engineer about this and was told that on rare occasions someone gets close but not normally. Sometimes folks will even race the train. At a 10 mile an hour speed limit, the train seldom wins. The star of this railroad is one of the newest steam locomotives built in the US. The York 17

This locomotive is less than two years old. Built by the Kloke Locomotive Works in Elgin Il., it was their second locomotive. For the train buffs, rail fans, and techies it is an "American 4-4-0" design, oil fired boiler, and weighs in at just 88,000 pounds (a mere 44 tons), a real light weight as locomotives go. The rest of the specs are:

Cylinders	16" x 24"
Driving Wheels	60"
Boiler	50" outside diameter
Boiler Pressure	160 lbs
Flues	156, 2" diameter
Engine & Tender Length	45'
Engine & Tender Weight	88,000 lbs
Tender Tank Capacity	2,000 gallons

To get a closer look at this beauty as it was being built click here http://www.leviathan63.com/projectYork.html

On our visit we took a ride and were both educated, entertained, and met some characters on board.

So why is this such a historic railroad and train????? In 1863 the Civil War was still raging. The Battle of Gettysburg had been fought in this area just a few month earlier. A memorial ceremony was being planned on the Gettysburg battle field to honor those that had given their lives for this cause. President Abraham Lincoln had been invited to say a few words. Amazingly he was not the main speaker, but his words, known as the Gettysburg Address, have lived on in history.
To travel to and from Washington DC to Gettysburg he took a train very similar to this one, and traveled on these same tracks. Unfortunately a short time later Lincoln would again ride these rails, but this time would be to his final resting place in Illinois.

And while you're there, after you stop at the Pizza place for lunch, walk down to the New Freedom Station and visit the Railroad Museum. You won't be sorry.

Grenville

Yikes, Up 17 Cents

Thanks to all fellow bloggers who posted a comment on yesterday's previous post about rising gas prices.Here is what the cost was on the NJ Turnpike on Wed, July 17.

And, here's what is was when we stopped this afternoon, a 17 cent hike in 3 days (gas prices change weekly on the Turnpike on Fridays).

As we got closer to home, prices were hovering between $3.63 to $3.69/gallon. Hopefully they won't increase overnight as we need a fill-up.

Thanks, Anvilcloud for the heads-up on what to expect when we travel to parts of Canada in late fall. We will be sure to rent a compact car. And, Triumph we may stay away from Oregon travel for awhile, and NJ is the other lone U.S. state without self-service stations. 

What Goes Up in Summer?

Temperatures as most of us know by the recent heat wave hitting large parts of the U.S. And gas prices as seen on this recent road trip to RI for Ellie's birthday.

We travelled through 5 east coast states from our VA home (MD, DE, NJ, NY, CT). Lowest cost (then) was on the NJ Turnpike at $3.38/gal and highest (as always) was in CT at $4.15/gal. All other gas costs were in between those ranges.

Of course, these rates could all be different by the time we reach home Sat night. While we don't expect they will go lower, temperatures are expected to drop by the weekend.

1 out of 2 isn't bad, but we would rather the gas costs dropped.

Clang Clang Clang Went the Trolley…..

AGAIN. Todays trip had a short side trip, detour, or should we call it an unscheduled stop. Just north of New Haven on I-95 is East Haven, home of the Shoreline Trolley Museum.

From the mid 1800's to the mid 1900's a person could conceivable ride trolleys from Philadelphia Pa. to Brunswick Maine. Now why anyone would want to do this instead of just taking a train is beyond me. BUT Mike, our motorman for todays adventure, says it would have been possible. Today hardly any of the trackage is still in place. Most trolley tracks were laid next to roadways, and much of that has been tarred over for roadway widening. (Automobiles,,,,,, just a passing fancy!!!!)

The Shore Line Trolley Museum has been an important part of the community since its incorporation in 1945 as the Branford Electric Railway Association. Founded to preserve the unique heritage of an endangered species -- the trolley car -- it now boasts a collection of nearly 100 vintage vehicles as well as artifacts and documents from the trolley era. It continues to operate predominantly through the dedication and support of its over 1000 member/volunteers.

A visit to the museum is a multi-sensory voyage into the past, from the moanful growl of the motors, to the smell of the electric arc, to the feel of rattan seats and varnished hardwood detailing.

The Shore Line Trolley Museum operates the Branford Electric Railway, a National Historic Site. The railway is the oldest continuously operating suburban trolley line in the United States.

The museum is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization; donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law

Motorman Mike took us to the end of the line in Trolley 357 which ran until the late 1950's in Johnstown Pa. Amazingly it still had many of the original poster ads.

Do you think the bottom center ad would be allowed today??????

On our way back Mike stopped at the car barns and took us through the shops. Trolleys there are in various states of repair. Hurricanes Irene and Sandy caused major flooding along their line and car barns. Salt water is definitely not good for electric motors. Many of them had to be removed and re-wound which is not cheap. The barns that are open to the public house mostly restored trolleys. I want you all to know that I looked high and low but could not find "Judy" singing in any of the cars.

Being in the New Haven area, home to Yale University, Mike told us that for the old time football games, trolleys would be brought in from all over to take the fans from the train station (NewYork, New Haven & Hartford RR) to the stadium and back. The average car would hold about 80 folks comfortably. On game days that would swell by 2 or 3 times. According to Mike the record was set at 240 people on one trolley car….OUCH!!!!!

A law in Connecticut required the President of every trolley company to personally inspect all of his lines each year. Since the Shoreline was owned by the New Haven Railroad its president had to preform this inspection. Of course a railroad President wasn't going to ride in just any trolley. NO NO…. he had a specially outfitted one for his inspection.

Special comfy seats, separate porters station, single motorman station, AND……..INDOOR PLUMBING!!!!!! Yep,,,, right there in the trolley car. We were not able to get into this car, but it is here in one of the barns.

For more information and directions to the Shoreline Trolley Museum go to 

http://www.shorelinetrolley.com/stm/

Grenville

On the Road to Mooorocco

Bob and Bing may have had the road to Morocco but today we are heading down the highway to the Land of Moo. We have decided that the urban life has definitely been purged from us and we long for our ruraldom of the Shore. 

BUT today we will make a side trip Lancaster PA to visit with Younger Daughter (Princess Sleeps Alot) and BoyFriend. We heard that we are going to do some Farm Markets and then dinner at a Italian Restaurant she has heard is really good.... AND we get to see lots of COWS, Bodacious Bovines, and Contented Cud Chewers.

More from the road if we find a wi-fi spot among the silos and soggy fields.

I was going to add an audio clip of me singing "On the Road Again" but Willie emailed and said it was not a good idea.