Labor Day Weekend Safety: How to Avoid Serious Accidents in Texas

Labor Day weekend is when Texans hit the road, fire up the grill, head to the lake, and close out the summer with the people they love. It is also one of the deadliest weekends of the year on Texas highways.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 505 people were killed in traffic crashes nationwide during the 2024 Labor Day holiday period. A third of those deaths involved a drunk driver.

Texas sees the same pattern every year. According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the state recorded 334 DUI-alcohol-related crashes during the 2023 Labor Day holiday weekend, and those crashes killed 14 people and seriously injured 35 more.

More travel means more risk. A few decisions made before the weekend starts can keep a good holiday from turning into the worst day of your life.

Never Drink and Drive

The most important rule is the simplest one. If you drink, do not drive.

Alcohol slows your reaction time, clouds your judgment, and strips away the coordination you need behind the wheel. Drivers who swear they feel fine are usually the ones who cannot react when a car stops short in front of them.

Nighttime is the worst of it. The NHTSA reports that in 2024, fatal crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver occurred at roughly three times the rate at night than during the day. That same year, 11,904 people died in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes, which works out to about one death every 44 minutes.

Make the plan before the first drink:

• Designate a sober driver.
• Use a rideshare service or a taxi.
• Ask someone to pick you up.
• Stay overnight instead of driving home.
• Never get in a car with someone who has been drinking.

See an impaired driver on the road? Stay back, and call 911 when it is safe to do so.

Watch for Distracted Drivers

Drunk drivers are not the only threat out there this weekend.

Phones, passengers, navigation screens, and drive-thru bags pull attention off the road every single day, and a driver who looks down for a few seconds covers the length of a football field without seeing a thing.

Texas already pays a steep price. TxDOT’s 2024 Texas Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Facts show 14,905 serious-injury crashes in Texas in 2024, with 18,218 people seriously injured.

You can cut your risk:

• Put your phone away before you start driving.
• Set your navigation before you leave the driveway.
• Keep your eyes on the road.
• Skip the meal behind the wheel.
• Let a passenger handle calls, texts, and directions.
• Pull over when something needs your full attention.

Distraction does not only endanger the distracted driver. It puts every passenger, pedestrian, motorcyclist, and motorist around them in danger too.

Give Other Vehicles Plenty of Space

Holiday weekends pack Texas highways.

When traffic tightens up, following too closely turns an ordinary stop into a serious rear-end collision. Leave enough room to react.

Commercial trucks deserve even more caution. Tractor-trailers carry wide blind spots and need far more distance to stop than a passenger car, so do not linger alongside one, pass with purpose, and leave real space when you merge or change lanes. On I-35, I-10, and I-45, cars and 18-wheelers share the same lanes around the clock.

Be Careful on Long Drives

A three-day weekend usually means a long drive.

Hours behind the wheel wear you down, and the temptation to push straight through to the destination is exactly what causes trouble. Drowsy driving dulls your reaction time, splits your attention, weakens your decision making, and can cost you control of the vehicle entirely.

Before you leave:

• Get a full night of sleep.
• Plan regular breaks.
• Switch drivers when you can.
• Stop the moment you feel tired.
• Do not treat caffeine as a substitute for rest.
• Never drive when you are fighting to keep your eyes open.

Arriving late beats not arriving at all.

Slow Down in Work Zones

Road construction does not take the holiday off.

Expect lane closures, lower speed limits, workers on foot, temporary barriers, and traffic patterns that shift with almost no warning. Slow down as you approach, follow the posted signs, and give yourself extra time to react.

A few extra minutes on the road protect the people working a few feet from your bumper.

Look Twice for Motorcycles

Labor Day weekend brings more motorcycles onto Texas roads.

Bikes are a fraction of the size of a pickup, which makes them easy to miss in a mirror, in a blind spot, or coming through an intersection.

Drivers should:

• Check mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes.
• Look twice for motorcycles.
• Keep a safe following distance.
• Use turn signals.
• Never drive distracted or impaired.

Riders carry responsibility too. Wear the gear, obey traffic laws, and never ride impaired.

Keep Children Safe Around Water

Labor Day ends summer on the calendar, but Texas heat keeps pools, lakes, and rivers packed well into September.

Children need close supervision near water. Every time.

Parents and caregivers should:

• Keep children within sight and within reach while they swim.
• Teach basic water-safety rules early.
• Use properly fitted life jackets on the water.
• Keep pool gates and barriers secured.
• Stay off the phone while supervising.
• Never assume another adult is watching.

If you are the adult in charge of children around water, skip the alcohol.

Practice Safe Boating

Boating safety deserves the same attention you give the highway.

Wear a properly fitted life jacket, follow posted speed limits and navigation rules, and confirm the boat is properly equipped before you leave the dock.

Above all, do not operate a boat while impaired. Alcohol affects balance, judgment, coordination, and reaction time, and open water gives you almost no margin for error.

Pay Attention at Parties and Gatherings

Celebrations happen at homes, restaurants, hotels, pools, and parks.

Property owners and businesses have a duty to take reasonable steps to keep their premises safe for guests and customers, and that duty covers hazards like spills, poor lighting, and unsafe walkways.

Guests should still watch out for themselves. Look where you are walking, notice changes in elevation, and say something when you spot a hazard. One overlooked danger can lead to a serious fall.

Buckle Up on Every Trip

Seat belts are still one of the most effective ways to survive a crash.

Driving across the state or heading three blocks to a cookout, it makes no difference. Everyone buckles up before the car moves, and children belong in age- and size-appropriate car seats or booster seats, installed correctly and used every time.

A short trip is still a trip, and a crash can happen anywhere.

What to Do If You Are Injured Over Labor Day Weekend

You can do everything right and still get hurt because of another driver, a careless property owner, or a company that cut corners to save money.

If someone else’s negligence injured you, the steps below protect your health and preserve the evidence in your case.

1. Get medical attention. Serious injuries do not always announce themselves, and internal damage can take days to surface. An evaluation identifies what is wrong and documents your treatment from day one.
2. Report the accident. Call law enforcement, notify the property owner or business, or report the incident to the appropriate authority.
3. Document everything. If you are physically able, photograph and record the scene, the vehicles, the property conditions, your visible injuries, and anything else that helps explain what happened.
4. Gather information. Get contact and insurance details from the other drivers, and contact information from anyone who saw it happen.
5. Be careful what you say. Insurance companies move fast, and they ask for recorded statements early for a reason. Talk to a personal injury attorney about your rights before you give a statement or accept a settlement offer.
6. Call an experienced personal injury law firm. A serious accident brings medical bills, lost income, property damage, and pain that never shows up on a receipt. Catastrophic injuries and wrongful death cases raise the stakes even higher. An attorney can investigate what happened, identify every responsible party, gather the evidence, and pursue the compensation you are owed.

Thomas J. Henry Law Fights for Injured Texans

An accident takes more from a family than physical health, and we have seen it firsthand for over 30 years.

Our firm handles car accidents, truck accidents, company vehicle accidents, premises liability claims, workplace accidents, and wrongful death cases.

Our recent results include:

• $35 million in a trucking accident involving wrongful death
• $14.75 million in a premises liability case involving a traumatic brain injury
• $10 million in a company vehicle accident involving neck and spine injuries
• $7.1 million in an automobile accident involving spine and back injuries

These results are examples of compensation Thomas J. Henry Law has secured for clients. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in another case.

The firm has collected $900 million for clients over the past four years, and its published results represent only a sampling of the verdicts, settlements, and judgments it has obtained.

Do Not Let a Preventable Accident Change Your Labor Day

This weekend should be about friends, family, and the last good days of summer. Not an emergency room. Not a phone call no one wants to answer.

Plan your ride before you drink. Put the phone down. Leave space between you and the car ahead, slow down in construction zones, and keep your eyes on the kids near the water. And never count on another driver to make the safe choice for you.

If you or someone you love is seriously injured because of someone else’s actions, know your options.

Thomas J. Henry Law offers free case reviews and handles personal injury cases on a contingency-fee basis. You pay no attorney fees unless and until the firm wins your case.

Contact Thomas J. Henry Law today to discuss your case.