Thanksgiving most dangerous for U.S. drivers: study

A ballon named "Hole Cow" is seen during the Thanksgiving Day Parade in Downtown Houston, Texas, the United States, on Nov. 23, 2017. (Xinhua/Song Qiong)

Sixty percent of fatal crashes involve either alcohol consumption or excessive speeding.

HOUSTON, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Thanksgiving is the deadliest major holiday for U.S. drivers, especially in the country's second largest state of Texas, according to a new study released on Monday.

The number of fatal crashes in the Thanksgiving holiday period, spanning from Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving through the Monday morning after, is six percent more than Labor Day, the second-deadliest, and 43 percent more than Christmas, the least deadly, the car insurance savings app Jerry found.

Texas is the deadliest state, with 749 traffic-linked deaths during the Thanksgiving holiday week, beating the largest U.S. state of California by 10 to rank the highest in the country, said the study, which examined data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) between 2006 and 2020.

Holiday travelers arrive at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, the United States, Nov. 20, 2018. (Xinhua/Zhao Hanrong)

However, Los Angeles topped the ranks with 74 Thanksgiving traffic fatalities, 57 percent more than second-ranked Houston, which is followed by Dallas, San Antonio and Fort Worth, all major cities in Texas.

"The population of Texas and California is always going to be a determining factor," a Houston Chronicle report quoted Houston police officer Salvador Corral as saying.

"Los Angeles and Houston with similar demographics, everywhere is about 20 minutes with no traffic and you don't have a lot of transit systems like in Chicago where you can hop on a train and get home," he said.

The study also found that 60 percent of fatal crashes involve either alcohol consumption or excessive speeding.