A record 39.6 million Americans could pass through the nation's airport terminals over Christmas weekend. Due to the record numbers and Delta pilots refusal to work overtime during a contract dispute, many flights will be fully booked, making it difficult for those whose flights are cancelled to find space on later flights. Icy weather is expected across much of the Southeast and Midwest, including snow showers in the Carolinas and Georgia and ice storms across much of the Midwest. Such weather will mean delays and cancellations not only for airlines, but for trains and buses as well. Traveling by automobile, by far the most common way to go, generally causes the most injuries and deaths.
Severe weather can cause accidents, or drivers can become dangerously stranded.
Never know when you'll break down. Police are conducting sobriety checkpoints during the holidays as well, hoping to prevent some of the thousands of drunk driving accidents that have become an unfortunate part of the season. With the approaching celebration of Christ's birth and the beginning of the new year, the frustration and stress of travel can detract from people's focus on the season's meaning. Many Americans struggle with the stress and joy of the holiday season, and travel struggles can exemplify both the joy of seeing loved ones and the stress of fighting the weather, the labor problems, and the crowds to get there. Click on each text to read it in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.