If you’re like many people, your holiday plans this year include traveling to be with family and friends.

As wonderful as that is, the unfortunate reality is that it puts you in unfamiliar territory during a busy, hectic time of year.

The chaos that is woven into the fabric of the season could easily lead to an accident if you’re not careful.

According to holiday statistics, here are the types of things you’re most likely to suffer from while traveling:

Car Accidents – These can range from simple fender benders where nobody gets hurt to big multi-car pile ups on the highway that result in extended stays in the hospitals. They sometimes, unfortunately, result in the deaths of one or more holiday travelers.

Trips, Slips and Falls – This one probably comes as no great surprise.  Combine the hectic pace of the holiday season with high amounts of foot traffic, add in icy conditions, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.  Every year between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, ERs find themselves dealing with higher than normal numbers of patients who find themselves at the hospital after a trip, slip or fall.

Fatigue or Dehydration – While this one isn’t as common as trips, slips and falls, it’s still common enough to earn a special mention here.  While dehydration is more often associated with the hot summer months, it’s easier than you might think to become dehydrated in the wintertime too. In cold temperatures, all available moisture in the air gets frozen. This includes some moisture of the human body. You may feel very dry. So, invest in a humidifier and drink plenty of fluids.

In all three of these cases, you can minimize your risk of holiday injury simply by being more mindful of your surroundings and moving with deliberation and purpose.  It’s easy to get caught up in the hype and chaos of the season. By slowing your pace slightly and being more aware, you can help to ensure that your holiday season will be filled with good memories this year and not painful ones.