Law enforcement shares tips as holiday travel period begins

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office says stay off your phone while driving, always wear a seat belt and don't drink and drive.

MACON, Georgia(41NBC/WMGT)— The Holiday travel period officially kicked off Wednesday. Triple A predicts that more than 53 million Americans will travel for the holiday weekend. That’s a big rebound to near pre-pandemic levels.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office says stay off your phone while driving, always wear a seat belt and don’t drink and drive.

“Throughout the week and weekend we’re going to have extra patrol out and about both in the county and on the interstate, we’re looking for anything, following too close, speeding, texting while driving,” said Lieutenant John Thompson with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

The Georgia Department of Public Safety will also be out on the road to ensure drivers are safe. They will be looking for impaired and careless drivers to ensure less crashes this year, compared to last.

The ‘Click it or Ticket’ seatbelt campaign also kicked off this week. So if you’re not wearing a seat belt, expect a ticket.

“58 percent of the fatalities are unbelted, 24 percent are impaired and almost 90 percent involve some element of human error, so please plan your trips accordingly, plan them carefully and allow ample time to reach your destination,” says Colonel Chris Wright with the Department of Public Safety.

Officers advise if you see someone driving recklessly, call 911 immediately.

If you’re traveling this holiday weekend, you can expect some delays. So it’s important to leave a little early so you can get to your destination safely.