‘Let’s be careful out there’

As we quickly reminisce about the happiness of our 2016 Thanksgiving and the turkey sandwiches to come, some of us are waking this morning thinking about the long drive back home. Not meaning to put a damper on any travel plans, but here are a few reminders: You are not alone. As you will soon see, the highways and byways of this nation are crowded this weekend for a variety of reasons. First, it’s Thanksgiving and gas prices are low. An expected 50 million people are on the roads traveling an average of 600 miles from Wednesday until midnight Sunday. Well over a million will be traveling in Georgia.

With that volume of traffic, it’s best not to be in a hurry — and remember there are people on the roads that may still be in the celebratory mood. Be on the lookout. The Georgia State Patrol is on the lookout, too. The GBI’s Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) will be in full force throughout the holiday season and there will be checkpoints throughout the state. This is an effort to reduce the number of traffic deaths this Thanksgiving holiday. According to a GSP press release, state troopers investigated 788 traffic crashes across the state last year that resulted in 377 injuries and nine fatalities. Troopers also arrested 319 people for driving under the influence and issued 9,620 citations and 15,729 warnings.

Before getting on the road, consider doing a few simple maintenance procedures that could save you time and headaches later. Check your oil and tire pressure. While under the hood, check you brake and power steering fluid levels, too. If you have no idea where these items are, consult your owners manual.

Make sure everyone is buckled up and make sure your littlest passengers are in their special seats and that those seats are properly installed. Officials are urging drivers to be cautious, buckle up, and drive the speed limits this holiday weekend.

Now here’s a biggie. On Wednesday the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued voluntary guidelines that it hopes makers of smartphones will follow. They want makers of the devices like Apple and Samsung to add a driver mode, similar to the airplane mode on an iPhone that will disable the device using certain apps or from receiving certain communications. Why?

In the first half of 2016, highway deaths increased 10.4 percent according to NHTSA data. That follows a 7.1 percent increase in 2015. That means more than 100 people are dying on our highways every day. Some of the increase can be explained from more drivers on the road to lower gas prices, but distracted driving is also thought to be a big contributor to the “largest annual percentage increase in traffic deaths in 50 years.”

Drivers are doing everything but paying attention. Makers of Pokémon Go, according to The New York Times, modified the game so that it won’t operate at speeds over 10 miles per hour. Yes, drivers were playing the game while navigating their vehicles and, guess what, they were getting into accidents. So much so the company had to change the game.

New vehicles already have a number of safety features built in, from preventing the vehicle from starting if the seat belts aren’t fastened and only allowing smartphone connection if the vehicle is stopped and in park.

But a driver mode would be a simple way to self-police and prevent drivers, if they wish, from watching videos, reading or sending text messages, while still allowing them to listen to music or use the map function.

In the words of Sgt. Phil Esterhaus, from “Hill Street Blues,” “Let’s be careful out there.” We have so many more Thanksgivings just waiting to be celebrated.

This story was originally published November 24, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "‘Let’s be careful out there’."