Busy holiday roads come with risks

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - With Thanksgiving just over a week away, many in the Wabash Valley are making travel plans.

Nationwide, the number of people planning to travel more than 50 miles over the Thanksgiving holiday has risen this year, according research from AAA.

In all, the group’s research indicates about 43.6 million people will travel over the holiday, up from 43.3 million in 2011. Of those, 90 percent plan to drive, according to AAA.

With all those extra drivers on the road, officials with Indiana State Police say they are stepping up patrols over the holiday.

“We’ll be utilizing plain vehicles. We’ll be utilizing airplane patrols,” said Sgt. Joe Watts. “We’ll be using DUI checkpoints … for DUI drivers. We want to make sure this holiday is safer than the one last year.”

Despite the efforts of authorities, Watts said driver precautions are the clearest way to achieve safe highways. In particular, he warned against distractions like cellular phones and electronic devices.

“When you, the driver, are hauling or carrying passengers in your vehicle … you are, in a sense, hauling the most valuable cargo in Indiana,” Watts said. “So it would behoove you to pay attention and make sure you’re doing the right thing behind the wheel.”