SYLACAUGA, Ala. – It’s almost Thanksgiving, a time for friends and family to come together, catch up, eat great food, and give thanks for the many joys in their lives. It is also the heaviest travel time of the year, and for you to make it to your family gathering safely, be cautious while out on the roads.
According to the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), a high volume of traffic this Thanksgiving season will make car accidents and fatalities more likely. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) recorded seven fatal car accidents during the 2015 Thanksgiving holiday resulting in nine deaths — one a motorcyclist, the other eight were in vehicles that had seat belts with only two in use.
ALDOT is urging everyone to buckle up.
“Almost 60 percent of the people who die in vehicle crashes on Alabama highways are not wearing a seat belt,” said Allison Green, Drive Safe Alabama coordinator with ALDOT. “Most of those crashes are survivable.”
To help promote safety during this heavy holiday traffic period, ALDOT is limiting road construction and today announced that there will be no temporary lane closures on Alabama interstates from noon tomorrow (Wednesday, Nov. 23), until Sunday, Nov. 27, at midnight. Emergency lane closures are still possible, and ALDOT says it’s important for motorists to always obey posted work zone speed limits.
For more information on holiday travel in Alabama, visit www.dot.state.al.us.
Jeremy Law for SylacaugaNews.com | © 2016, SylacaugaNews.com/Marble City Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.