New data from Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) highlights the behaviour behind the 16.2% spike in road crashes and traffic fatalities on Memorial Day, May 25th. According to research from the AAA, over 45 million people will hit the road on Memorial Day. But that surge comes with a sobering caveat: according to NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), traffic fatalities on Memorial Day run 16.2% higher than on a typical Monday in May or June.
CMT analysed distracted driving and speeding on Memorial Day from 2023 through 2025, comparing behaviour hour by hour against similar Mondays. CMT found that both distraction and speeding increase during the holiday, with the sharpest spikes occurring in the afternoon. CMT also found that speeding builds on Friday and Saturday before peaking on Memorial Day, while distraction remains relatively steady until Monday.
Key findings are that on Friday, the sharpest increase in speeding occurs between 3 pm and 7 pm as drivers begin their holiday travel. By 7 am on Memorial Day, speeding is more than double typical levels — 100% above average. The most pronounced spike in distracted driving occurs between 4 pm and 5 pm, when distraction levels jump by 12.2%.
