Monroe County Sheriff’s Officer Shares Thanksgiving Highway Safety Tips

Ah, the sound of traffic. It’s the perfect beginning to any major holiday.

“We’ve run into some traffic jams where it’s slow, and very boring,” says Thelmarie Long, who’s traveling with her husband all the way from Greenville, Pennsylvania to visit her son Ryan and his wife in Florida.

This Thanksgiving, more than 42.5 million people will be clogging the roadways, and if you’re getting a late start to your excursion, just remember some helpful safety tips.

“We encourage people to be defensive drivers, and pay attention to what’s going on around them because other people might not be paying attention to you. Observe the speed limits is a big one, and always, always wear your seatbelt,” says Monroe County Sheriff’s Office public information officer Allison Selman-Willis.

If you’re planning on heading out tonight, beware: the roads get a little more dangerous.

“When traveling at night you may be faced with a lot of traffic, as well as limited visibility because of nighttime,” says Selman-Willis. “In that case, you have to be hyper-aware of what you’re doing as well as what the other drivers are doing, maintain your lane, don’t drink and drive, don’t drive sleepy, make sure you’re well rested, and if you have somebody traveling with you, try to trade off.”

As always, make sure you’re traveling with someone you love, like the Longs.

“I’m just thrilled that we’re gonna be able to spend some quality time with them we haven’t seen them in over a year.”

Don’t let traveling gobble up your Thanksgiving happiness. Stay safe, and have a great turkey day.

For more highway safety tips, visit www.georgia.gov