ATLANTA — The Georgia State Patrol is warning people to be prepared for any kind of conditions on the road this holiday season.
So far, at least six people have been killed and 35 crashes have left people injured, GSP says.
They told Channel 2’s Courtney Francisco that most of those are because of distracted driving.
AAA says a record number of people hit the road this holiday season, and it’s not over yet.
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On Friday night, it was bumper-to-bumper in some areas, including a crash on the Interstate 75/Interstate 85 connector in midtown Atlanta, where the interstate was shut down for hours.
The Georgia Department of Public Safety has counted more than 100 crashes during the Christmas holiday period across the state.
“I don’t know how fast people are going, but most of them are going crazy,” driver Greg Latham said.
AAA says more than 122 million people traveled to visit loved ones. They say most of them drove, but the airports were still crowded.
Flight Aware ranked Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as the third-most miserable on Friday night based on cancellations and delays.
Francisco noticed some back-ups at baggage claim, but people picking up families said parking was fine.
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“We came from Flowery Branch area. We usually give ourselves an hour, hour-and-a-half, but today it wasn’t that bad. We were surprised,” Kathy Abraham said.
AAA said Friday was the first wave of people returning home from holiday celebrations. The second wave will return home on Sunday.
But they predict New Year’s week will also be a busy travel period, just not as heavy as this week.