125+ Thanksgiving Accident & Injury Statistics

While Thanksgiving is often a time for overindulging in food and visiting with family, it is also one of the riskiest times for accidents and injuries. From 2020-2024 there were over 2,000 people killed in driving fatalities over Thanksgiving, a rate higher than Christmas, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day, making Thanksgiving one of the most dangerous holidays of the year.

Not only that, Thanksgiving Day has the highest number of reported fires (an average 1,500 each year) compared to any other day of the year, a rate one third higher than Christmas Day and Christmas Eve.

Fires are not the only risk with an average 78% of people rinsing raw turkey in their sink before cooking, spreading the risk of contamination and increasing hospitalizations for food poisoning. Family pets also have an increased risk of poisoning and veterinary visits resulting in obstruction removal surgery during Thanksgiving from eating things they shouldn’t.

Thanksgiving Driving Accident Statistics

On average, 8% of all annual car accidents with injuries take place during the week of Thanksgiving.

The table below presents the rates of car accidents with injuries only, no fatalities for the Thanksgiving season from 2014 to 2022:

Fatalities are just as likely during the Thanksgiving holiday, as evidenced by these figures from the same time frame:

Leading factors are:

1. Alcohol consumption
2. Distracted driving
3. Not wearing seatbelts

36% of all fatalities during the Thanksgiving Day week involved a drunk driver. The number of car accident fatalities involving a drunk driver on Thanksgiving are 5% higher than the average number of traffic fatalities involving drunk drivers during any day of the year.

An average 30% of drivers don’t wear seatbelts on a regular basis, despite the fact that seat belts are the single most effective way to reduce accidents and fatalities in car accidents. On Thanksgiving, car accident rates, alcohol-related accidents, and fatalities all rise, increasing the need for added safety.

• 2,525: From 2020-2024, 2,525 people were killed in car accidents during Thanksgiving.
• 502: 502 people died in 2024 in driving accidents on Thanksgiving.
• 57,200: An estimated 57,200 people received nonfatal injuries related to car accidents during Thanksgiving 2024.
• 117: An estimated 117 lives are saved annually from seatbelts.
• 35%: 35% of total traffic fatalities on Thanksgiving involve an alcohol-impaired driver.
• 3%: Alcohol-related driving fatalities increases 3% on Thanksgiving compared to other days of the year

Sources: NSC; CDC

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Fridays in November have high rates of car accidents, with an average of 188 during the day but 255 at night, indicating a 27% higher risk of accidents at night. This makes driving the day/night after Thanksgiving particularly risky.

The table below indicates different risks on different days of the Thanksgiving holiday:

When you look at the Thanksgiving week, it is clear that the Wednesday right before Thanksgiving is the most dangerous day for car accidents with property damage or injury but the Saturday after Thanksgiving is the most dangerous in terms of the number of fatal car accidents, followed by Thanksgiving Day itself.

*Note: Black Friday, the day immediately after Thanksgiving, has the second highest rates of car accidents with injuries during the holiday not only due to holiday travel but because of traffic generated by shoppers.

Thanksgiving Fire Injury Statistics

Thanksgiving day has particularly high rates of injury regarding fires. Thanksgiving has three times the daily average for fire injuries ahead of Christmas Day and Christmas eve.

Rates of fires reported on Thanksgiving Day are nearly 400 times higher than any other day of the year with the leading factor attributed to unattended cooking. Another 10% of fires on Thanksgiving are caused by heating sources and the other 20% caused by a combination of things like decorations including candles.

• 388%: Thanksgiving day reports fires at a rate of 388% higher than the daily average.
• 1,446: There were 1,446 home cooking fires reported on Thanksgiving day alone in 2023.
• 80%: 80% of all structural fires on Thanksgiving day are caused by cooking.
• 40%: 40% of all injuries sustained on Thanksgiving day are the result of structural fires.
• 2,300: Each year there are an average of 2,300 Residential Building fires on Thanksgiving Day
• 5: Residential fires on Thanksgiving cause five deaths on average every year
• 25: An estimated 25 people are injured every year on Thanksgiving because of residential fires
• $26 million: Residential fires may not cause high numbers of deaths and injuries but they cause over 26 million dollars in total property loss every year.

Sources: NFPA; FEMA

Under normal circumstances fires tend to peak during dinner time hours between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. but on Thanksgiving Day the majority of fires and fire-related injuries happen between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. during preparations for dinner. The table below shows the percentage of fires on Thanksgiving broken down by the most dangerous hours of the day:

Source: FEMA

Thanksgiving Food Statistics

Thanksgiving is a common time for new recipes and frozen turkeys that have to be thawed safely. Unfortunately Thanksgiving is also a time when the CDC notices outbreaks of certain food poisoning types particularly those caused by harmful bacteria from raw turkey.

• 238: An annual 238 people die from foodborne illnesses including salmonella, but perfringens is the most common food-related illness to impact families during Thanksgiving.
• 78%: 78% of people wash or rinse their raw turkeys before cooking them using old family traditions or old recipes but this spreads poultry juice to other foods, countertops, and utensils in your kitchen.
• 14%: 14% of people who immediately clean their sink after washing a raw turkey still had germs in and around their sink increasing the risk of food poisoning and contamination.

Source: CDC

Thanksgiving Pet Injury Statistics

While it might be tempting to include your family pets in the Thanksgiving celebrations particularly by sharing food, it’s important to practice pet safety tips during the holidays to reduce the risk of poisoning from toxic foods in particular.

• 55%: Around 55% of dog owners admit that their dog has eaten something potentially toxic or harmful on Thanksgiving.
• 16%: 16% of dog owners had to take their dog to the vet because they ate something harmful on thanksgiving.
• 5%: Another 12.5% of pet owners had to call Poison Control after their pet ate something on thanksgiving.
• $3,500: The average cost of removing things like turkey bones or corn on the cob is 3,500 for pets

Source: Humane Animal Rescue

Thanksgiving Safety Tips

Though Thanksgiving can be a dangerous time there are several tips that can be followed to prevent cooking injuries, food poisoning, pet injuries, or car accidents.

Driving

Different areas of the United States have higher risks of accidents and fatalities including areas with severe weather events during the Thanksgiving holiday, heavy traffic and congestion. For this reason it’s important to plan ahead:

• Plan ahead leaving yourself ample time to arrive at your destination so that you don’t risk speeding
• Stay overnight or limit your alcohol consumption to reduce the risk of alcohol-related accidents, injuries, or fatalities
• Always stay focused on the road especially on Thanksgiving, avoiding distractions like text messages.
• Extend your travel time where possible to avoid driving during the most dangerous hours and the most dangerous days of the week for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Cooking

Celebrating over a giant turkey is the quintessence of Thanksgiving Day so you can keep your risk of fires minimal by testing your smoke alarms ahead of time, cleaning the kitchen before you get started so that no other knives, cords, or kitchen items are in the way. Additionally:

• Always stay in the kitchen if you are cooking so that you can monitor the stove top.
• If you are preparing a turkey stay in the house at all times and check on your turkey frequently.
• Keep children and pets away from hot foods, stovetops, knives, and other dangerous objects; steam and splash from things like gravy and vegetables can cause serious burns.
• Make sure cords from mixers, electric knives, or plate warmers do not dangle.
• Keep all matches and lighters locked away.
• Keep your kitchen and hallway floors clear so that you don’t trip over things like bags, jackets, pets, or children.
• Always test smoke alarms before you get started by pushing your test button.

Food Poisoning

An annual 238 people die from foodborne illnesses including salmonella, but C. perfringens is the most common food-related illness to impact families during Thanksgiving. As it grows in cooked foods left out at room temperature, it’s important to always store foods like turkey and roast beef properly, to thaw them properly and to handle them correctly while making stuffing or cooking your meat to prevent the risk of food-related illness from things like leftovers. Follow these tips:

• Make sure to adequately time the number of days you need to thaw and cook your turkey to completion.
• Always properly clean and cook food, keeping cooked food at safe temperatures to prevent perfringens food poisoning.
• Refrigerate your leftovers within 2 hours of cooking to prevent food poisoning.
• Cut larger portions of meat into small pieces to encourage them to cool quickly.
• Eat cooked turkey or any dishes with cooked turkey within 3-4 days of preparation; store in the freezer to make things last longer
• Always reheat to 165° before eating or serving leftovers.

Pets

During Thanksgiving, pets are more likely to steal food or be given food from the holiday preparations but this can bring significant risks like blockages, poisoning, even pancreatitis. While 16% of dog owners had to go to the vet and the average cost of surgery to remove things like turkey bones is around 3,500, over 1/4 of pet owners say they don’t have the money to cover such a surgery or unexpected vet visit. That’s why it’s very important to utilize preventative measures like the following:

• Avoid giving your pets anything with seasonings like garlic, onion, chives, or leaks as these are toxic to dogs and cats.
• Any unbaked dough with yeast in it can cause stomach blockages in dogs and cats or lead to alcohol poisoning from fermentation so don’t let your pet snack on dinner rolls.
• Chocolate, raisins, currents, and Xylitol (a common sugar substitute) is toxic to dogs and cats so avoid sharing desserts.
• Turkey, turkey skin, bacon, gravy, or any other holiday foods heavy in rich fats can cause pancreatitis in your pets.
• If you want to share with your pets, consider making them separate food items with some of the same holiday ingredients like chunks of plain sweet potato or plain pumpkin puree without any spice filling, bits of unprocessed apple, or slices of raw baby carrots.