Places to watch out for spring break drivers

Many residents are ecstatic once spring arrives. The temperatures start rising, the sun stays out longer, and most of the winter hazards such as snow and ice are starting to melt. Since winter and summer are often seen as the most dangerous driving seasons of the year, motorists feel like they don’t have to worry as much about terrible driving conditions for a while between March through May.

Unfortunately, spring has its own share of obstacles. Nearly every week in March and April features several colleges throughout the nation giving their students the week off. This is especially concerning for Californians given that the state is one of the top spring break destinations in the country. In certain areas, the chances of you encountering an intoxicated and inexperienced driver just increased dramatically. It is crucial that you are aware of the most dangerous locations to drive in to avoid reckless college students.

Beaches

Plenty of young adults want to recreate those iconic college films they saw where a group of students spends their spring breaks on the sand. California has plenty of beaches that start increasing in popularity around the spring time. They also become prime targets for car accidents since several visitors engage in reckless behavior such as driving with sandals and getting distracted by the gorgeous water.

Arguably the most dangerous time to go is around the sunset. Not only do you have the blinding light in your eye, but many students leave around this time since hardly anyone stays around the beach at night and sunsets provide great photo opportunities. If you drive home from work around this time, try to see if there is a safer route home.

Bars

The notion that a large portion of the nation’s college students spend their spring breaks getting drunk isn’t an exaggeration. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, around 42 percent of students get drunk on at least one day during spring break.

Aside from popular bar areas, take precautions around spots with popular restaurants, no matter if they are local or part of a chain. The evening hours is when you need to be careful the most because most of these young adults don’t have to worry about taking classes the next day.

Popular tourist attractions

Whether you need to take a drive near the Hollywood sign, the Golden Gate Bridge or Disneyland, you need to plan your hours and routes very cautiously. These are traffic heavy areas even when it’s not spring break, but adding a couple hundred or even thousand inexperienced drivers to the mix can result in a recipe for disaster. Students came to California not just to party and relax, but to also enjoy our state’s iconic landmarks.

Many college students feel like they can cut loose around spring break, which can result in plenty of car crashes that put California drivers in danger. If you or a loved one suffer from their reckless behavior, consider contacting a motor vehicle accident attorney to help you recover damages from the incident.