Xochilt Garcia
Editor in Chief
Are you traveling for the holidays? If so, you’ll be joining nearly 80 million other Americans who are projected to hit the roads and the airways in time for their Thanksgiving dinners.
The Texas Department of Transportation and the American Automobile Association are gearing up for the uptick in voyages with road safety campaigns and sharing the worst and best times to travel during the stuffing themed holiday season.
In a report released Nov. 18, AAA projected 71.7 million people to travel by car for Thanksgiving Day, which is 1.3 million more than the number of recorded travelers last year. 5.84 million people are also expected to travel by air, a 2% increase from last year.
TxDot has braced for the travel surge by launching its “Drive Sober. No Regrets” campaign in mid-November. The campaign “encourages everyone to keep the holidays cheerful by staying safe and never getting behind the wheel after drinking any amount of alcohol,” according to the TxDot website.
Rather than taking to the wheel after consuming alcohol, TxDot asks people to designate a sober driver, use a rideshare or taxi service, stay put, call someone else to drive or use public transportation.
Last year, TxDot reported 43 fatal crashes and 50 fatalities during the Thanksgiving holiday period from Nov. 22 through Nov. 26 of 2023, which is more than most other holiday times including the Christmas and New Year periods but less than the Fourth of July period.
AAA also listed the best and worst times to travel for Thanksgiving this year.
TxDot is also set to post heightened law enforcement on the roads during Dec. 16 through Jan. 1.
