Alabama troopers advise safety for drivers on the road during Thanksgiving

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — An estimated 55 million people will be traveling this Thanksgiving, many of whom will be making their way through Alabama.

Between Thursday and Sunday, state troopers are beefing up their presence on the roads to make sure drivers make it to their Thanksgiving destinations safely, as well as ensuring all traffic laws are enforced.

This is expected to be one of the busiest travel seasons of the year.

“Motorists can expect congested roadways at certain times,” Cpl. Jess Thornton of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said. “There’s going to be a lot of people out traveling, a lot of people out traveling long distances obviously.”

Thornton said drivers should be aware of new traffic laws in Alabama, including a new seat belt law that requires all passengers to be wearing seat belts while in the car.

“Now, the law is that everyone in the car need to be belted,” Thornton said.

Troopers say they are finding that distracted driving is becoming a leading cause in crashes.

“You cannot be texting or messaging while you’re driving in Alabama. Obviously, there’s a law against it,” Thornton said. “Distracted driving is anything that takes you attention from the task at hand.”

During the 2018 Thanksgiving travel period, troopers worked 482 traffic crashes, 36 of which involved alcohol. In addition, troopers also investigated seven traffic fatalities, two of which involved alcohol, as well as arrested 35 people for driving under the influence.

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