Remember Road Safety This Thanksgiving

AAA said that in Georgia, more than one million people are expected to travel by car this holiday weekend.

Toccoa Police Chief Tim Jarrell said that if you are traveling by car this Thanksgiving, keep safety in mind when heading out on the highways.

“We would like to remind motorists that when they leave for their destination, they should make sure they leave plenty of time to get there,” said Jarrell. “Avoid aggressive driving behaviors.”

He also reminded people to wear seat belts and not drink and drive.

“We will conduct safety checks and various other activities with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety,” said Jarrell.

The Georgia State Patrol said that the Thanksgiving holiday period began at 6 p.m. Wednesday and ends at midnight Sunday for a total of 102 hours.

During this period, Georgia State Troopers said they will be conducting concentrated patrols and road checks throughout the state, strictly enforcing seat belt laws and watching for impaired drivers
Last year during a similar 102-hour travel period, troopers say they investigated 676 traffic crashes that resulted in 288 injuries and 15 fatalities during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period.
In addition to investigating traffic crashes last year, the Georgia State Patrol says it issued approximately 7,000 citations; 12,000 warnings; and made 264 arrests for driving under the influence.
GSP officials said they will also be teaming up with law enforcement officials from across the state in Operation Click It or Ticket, Georgia’s high visibility seat belt enforcement program and Operation C.A.R.E., or Combined Accident Reduction Effort. Operation C.A.R.E. is a nationwide traffic safety initiative among state highway patrols and state police agencies where troopers and officers across the United States and Canada work together during holiday periods to reduce the number of traffic deaths through high visibility patrols and education.