Thanksgiving has come and gone, but the Thanksgiving travel season isn’t over yet. Drivers across the country will need to be extra cautious since state police are in the midst of a highway safety enforcement push that will last through the 27th. Some states are taking the enforcement a little more seriously after some particularly bad numbers of holiday accidents last year.
Last year Pennsylvania alone had 4,235 crashes and 49 fatalities during the Thanksgiving travel period. In an attempt to bring those numbers down, this year they’re starting “Operation Safe Holiday”: an initiative including seat-belt, aggressive-driving and impaired-driving enforcement. Similarly, the California State Patrol has issued a warning that this long weekend is being considered a “Maximum Enforcement Weekend.” Georgia is going so far as to set up road blocks with no advance warning.
Something else to remember about this season is that it’s not only the law enforcement to look out for. The nation’s roadways get incredibly congested as an estimated 43.6 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday. That’s a huge increase in the number of 4 wheelers that will be dodging and weaving around the road. So as always, keep your head on a swivel and drive safe.
Hopefully your bellies are full and you have much to be thankful for this year, but unfortunately, some families are not so fortunate. If you’d like to make a donation to help those families that are going hungry across our nation, feel free to visit www.feedingamerica.org to make a donation or to find the location of the nearest food pantry.
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Source: fleetowner
Image Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Mike Morley says
Georgia. Brings back some vivid , not so pleasant memories. I had loaded A tree harvester in St. Thomas Ontario that was bound for Miami and then Guyana. The Miami River, Bernuth Steam Ship Lines was the point of departure for SA . Customs prior to entering MI. The load was over dimensional , 0ver weight so the Petro fuel desk drill for permits began. MI , OH , KY , TENNESEE, and on into GA. Got as far as Ringold GA and oops ! . There were 4 of these things, all Daley Express, same description same destination. At the Petro in Knoxville I had procured and checked my permit , but turned around to get cough drops. The permits had been put back in the folder , I was given back the wrong one. My fault, I should have verified the document. No excuses. Arriving at the scale in Ringold I had wrong tractor listed on the permit. Under arrest! ( must have been the Ohio plate ! A Petro was A mile north of the scale, with A service road running behind between the truck stop and the scale. I called Knoxville and asked to have the correct permit faxed over. . Done , but I am not allowed to get it. A $80.00 cash bond comes first , I’m locked in the cage in the back seat of the police car and driven right past the Petro to the courthouse . Pay cash or go to jail. While on the coop’s pay phone trying to communicate with Knoxville , the DOT cop , one of 3 is talking to another driver , or should I say yelling, laughing , whooping it up . I can’t hear, and very quietly very politely request just 2 minutes to complete the phone call. A stream of obscenities ensue , who the hell do I think I am ? I respond that I am A citizen trying to comply with the the law , and would he please shut up or go outside. Next his hand was placed on his gun . He was directly in front of me, and I said , very quietly , you go for it, and we will see who gets it first. At that point the other 2 intervened . I paid the fine , dropped the trailer , got the permit; and since it was Saturday , past 1200 hrs. , I sat around the rest of the weekend.I was Inspected again Monday morning at dawn, and at every scale on that route in Friendly GA. I’m glad I didn’t get shot ! Lesson learned. Assume nothing !