ATLANTA — Thanksgiving is one of the most dangerous times of the year to be on the road.
Channel 2’s Michael Doudna learned that last year, there were thousands of crashes and dozens of deaths reported across Georgia in the nine days around Thanksgiving.
In total, more than two million Georgians are expected to hit Georgia’s roadways.
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“It’s unfortunate, but you know, AAA, we expect to rescue quite a few folks during this Thanksgiving period,” AAA spokesperson Montrae Waiters said.
Georgia Department of Transportation data shows more than 8,000 crashes and more than 40 deaths.
“It breaks my heart. That’s one of the scariest fears that I have,” driver Shardaye Cook said.
Sadly, those numbers are an improvement from 2023.
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The Tuesday before Thanksgiving in 2023 had 1,588 accidents, which was the most of any single day of the whole year.
Thanksgiving itself was the deadliest day of the year, with 16 people losing their lives.
“Alarmingly, fatalities for at least the last 10 years spike around Wednesday and Thursday,” GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale said.
On Thursday, emptier roads can see drivers mix impairment with speed.
“We know you wanna get to your destinations and see family and friends, folks, but you gotta slow down. You gotta pay attention to the roadway,” Waiters said.
AAA and GDOT anticipate traffic being lighter on Thursday and Friday, but will pick back up this weekend as people head back home.
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