Law Enforcement Out in Force This Holiday Week

The Thanksgiving holiday is typically one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

And while the Thanksgiving travel period officially begins this Wednesday at 6p, many will be hitting the road early this week to get to a jump start on their holiday.

That’s why Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies along with other local and state patrols will be out in force this week working to keep motorists safe.

“So many crashes can be prevented by simply slowing down, not texting while driving, not driving impaired, not driving recklessly, not driving too close and by using patience,” Franklin County Sheriff Steve Thomas said. Serious injuries caused during a crash can be reduced by taking a few extra moments and putting on your seatbelt. Law enforcement can only do so much in reducing crashes.”

All this week, local law enforcement along with Georgia State Troopers will be conducting concentrated patrols and road checks throughout the state, strictly enforcing seat belt laws and watching for impaired drivers.

Thomas says his office and deputies want everyone to have a happy and safe holiday.

“If each individual driver would just do their part,” Thomas said. “We at the Frnaklin County Sheriff’s office want everyone to make it home safely this holiday and to see their families at the door, not officers there to tell them of a terrible accident that your family or loved ones have been involved in.”

Meantime, the Georgia State Patrol will also be teaming up with law enforcement officials from across the state in Operation Click It or Ticket, Georgia’s high visibility seat belt enforcement program and Operation C.A.R.E., or Combined Accident Reduction Effort.

Operation C.A.R.E. is a nationwide traffic safety initiative among state highway patrols and state police agencies where troopers and officers across the United States and Canada work together during holiday periods to reduce the number of traffic deaths through high visibility patrols.

“Well, we will be working with our partners at local law enforcement agencies, sheriff’s departments, police departments as well as our state wide partner, the Georgia State Patrol in making sure that folks are buckled up. That’s the one easy thing that we can do that we know saves lives,” Blackwood said.

Last year during a similar 102-hour travel period, troopers investigated 676 traffic crashes that resulted in 288 injuries and 15 fatalities during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period.