State Patrol Urges Safe Driving this Thanksgiving Eve

Thanksgiving Eve is widely considered one of the biggest nights of the year for drinking.

Thanksgiving is also the most traveled holiday period of the year, but impaired motorists have helped make the eve of Turkey Day one of the most dangerous nights to be on the road.

Last year, there were nearly 800 crashes reported in Ohio on the day before Thanksgiving. Lieutenant Matt Boyd of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said a large number of fatal crashes reported in 2014 were in the early morning hours of Thanksgiving, when impaired drivers were more apt to be on the roads. He said multiple troopers will be out in full force this week to ensure safe travel.

“We’ll have someone on the interstate, and we’ll try to have someone both north and south of the interstate, Muskingum County and a couple people in Coshocton County, we want to make our presence known, also be very visible, and we will be very strict on the aggressive driving and seat belt violations, and of course impaired driving, as well,” Boyd said.

Boyd said last year Ohio State troopers arrested more than 100 drunk drivers from Wednesday afternoon to Thanksgiving morning. If you’re planning to be out on the roadways Wednesday night, the state patrol recommends driving defensively and keeping a watchful eye on other motorists.

“As motorists are out, and if they see someone driving aggressively, or that they feel is driving impaired, they can always call #677 to get a hold of us,” Boyd said.

As always, if you plan to drink this Thanksgiving, it is encouraged to designate a driver, or make other travel arrangements.