SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) Hitting the roads this Thanksgiving weekend? You'll be one of 2.8 million Mountain West residents who are doing the same, according to AAA. That's up .5 percent from last year and the fourth consecutive increase in Thanksgiving travel across Utah.
All those extra people rushing to get to grandma's means more chances of accidents. This year's the good weather may lead to over-confident drivers.
“This year we have unseasonably warm weather so people will think I can get into the car last minute I can drive fast to get there the roads are clear,” said Dwayne Baird, Department of Public Safety.
The Utah Highway Patrol wants a repeat of last Thanksgiving when there were zero fatal accidents in Utah. So along with enforcing the speed limit and texting laws, troopers are paying special attention to unbuckled motorists.
“You're 31 more times likely to die in a crash if you're not wearing a seatbelt,” said Baird. “That's astronomical odds, you wouldn't play those odds on any kind of game let alone of life.”
If there is one thing drivers can be thankful for this year, it's no construction. UDOT says there will be no major construction projects that will affect Thanksgiving travel.
