ATLANTA –The 102-hour Thanksgiving holiday travel period begins at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 27, and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 1.

“Reducing traffic crashes, deterring and correcting bad driving behaviors, and making the roadways safer is our job,” said Colonel Mark McDonough, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety. “To make this happen, Troopers and Motor Carrier Officers will be patrolling interstates and secondary roads throughout the state during this holiday period.”

According to AAA, this year we will see the highest Thanksgiving travel volume since 2005. They are predicting most travelers – 49.3 million, a 2.8% increase from last year – will be traveling by automobile.

“Motorists should travel with patience and allow plenty of time to reach their destinations,” said McDonough. “In order to make traveling safer, drivers should be mindful and obey the posted speed limit, have every occupant in their vehicle properly retrained, and never drive distracted or impaired.”

During the 2018 Thanksgiving holiday, the Georgia State Patrol investigated 610 crashes, resulting in 242 injuries. Statewide, there were 15 fatal crashes, resulting in 15 deaths.  GSP investigated 10 of those crashes.  In addition to crash investigations, Troopers arrested 339 people for driving under the influence, while issuing 11,523 citations (500 for distracted driving) and 17,046 warnings.

During the holiday period, an updated traffic fatality count will be published on the Department of Public Safety’s Twitter page: http://www.twitter.com/ga_dps.

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