ATLANTA — Thanksgiving travel may have been slightly more subdued than previous years due to COVID-19, but that didn't prevent dozens of tragedies on Georgia roads over the holiday period, state officials say.
The Georgia State Patrol confirmed on Monday that 24 people died in 23 different accidents over the 102-hour holiday period which began on Nov. 25 and ended on Nov. 29.
The heartbreaking statistic came from around the state and included cases handled by the Georgia State Patrol as well as local agencies.
This is a significant increase over 2019 where 12 traffic fatalities had been reported over the same 102-hour holiday period.
Overall, the Georgia State Patrol responded to 604 traffic accidents over the holiday period and over half resulted in injuries. The agency also issued 11,172 citations, 13,184 warnings, and made 281 arrests involving impaired drivers.
Of the citations written 940 were for seatbelt violations, 217 for improper child restraints, and 619 for distracted driving. But the lion's share of citations, 6,509, were given for speeding.
Overall, the agency saw a slight drop in the number of citations written this year (compared to 11,735 in 2019) and a significant decrease in warnings (16,259 that year). State Troopers also reported 44 fewer DUI arrests in this holiday period than it did at the same time last year.
While the Thanksgiving period this year had been marred by the COVID-19 pandemic, new data from some travel agencies suggest it was still the busiest weekend since March. Much of this dealt with flight; though, state numbers on traffic accidents suggest a similar trend on the roads as well.
