Georgia – Georgia’s roadways took a big hit during the long Thanksgiving travel weekend. State officials said that 12 people died in collisions during the 102-hour holiday period. The Georgia State Patrol said that 11 people died in crashes between Wednesday night and late Sunday night. This was a tragic finale to what is usually one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
Troopers were personally involved in looking into six of the deaths, while local authorities around the state reported the other deaths. The police departments in Albany and Atlanta, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, and the police in DeKalb, Gwinnett, and Glynn counties all reported deaths that happened over the busy holiday season. The travel window officially started at 6 p.m. on November 26 and ended at 11:59 p.m. on November 30.
Alongside the tragic loss of life, the overall crash numbers were significant. Troopers dealt with more than 498 crashes in Georgia, resulting in nearly 236 injuries. A lot of these crashes happened on busy highways as families traveled to be together, go home, or get through busy city streets.
During this time, there were a lot of efforts to enforce the law. As part of the statewide safety effort, State Troopers and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement officers made more than 23,000 traffic stops. These stops led to over 422 arrests for driving under the influence, underscoring ongoing concerns about impaired driving during major holidays. Officers also sent out more than 17,246 warnings and more than 11,249 tickets for different traffic violations.
Seatbelt and child safety remained key focus areas. More than 6,202 tickets were written for not using a seatbelt, while more than 226 tickets were filed for not using the right kid safety seat. There were also a lot of tickets for people driving while distracted, with more than 680 of them being recorded.
Officials said that the numbers are still early and may change if more reports come in or investigations come to an end. Still, preliminary data show that the holiday season was challenging with a lot of traffic, a lot of police action, and a string of crashes that had terrible effects on a number of Georgia families.
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During Thanksgiving, a lot of people travel, so state officials are always ready for more dangerous roads. The numbers from this year show that safety initiatives, responsible driving, and enforcement efforts to lower avoidable deaths over big holidays continue to be very important.
