How to stay safe over an expected record-breaking travel period

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) – AAA has released its travel forecast for the week of Thanksgiving, signaling what is expected to be another record-breaking number of travelers.

The company projects 79.9 million Americans will be traveling 50 miles or more over the Thanksgiving holiday period. Nearly 1.6 million of them are from Wisconsin.

It’s more than a two percent increase from last year. The holiday period was extended this year to include the Tuesday before Thanksgiving through the Monday after.

The most popular travel method is by car, with more than 1.4 million Wisconsinites expected to take a road trip. If you are one of them, AAA has some recommendations for how to keep your road travel safe.

The first recommendation is to get a full car inspection ahead of time. In the inspection, they will likely check your oil, battery, brakes, tires, and steering.

“If you’re not able to get it in for a full inspection like that, some key things you want to look out for are your tires and your battery,” AAA Director of Public Affairs and Wisconsin Spokesperson Nick Jarmusz said. “These are the two key components that are really weather-related as we get to see temperatures dipping down below freezing.”

Jarmusz mentioned planning additional routes ahead of time in case heavy congestion occurs, or road closures appear. He also recommends leaving with plenty of time to decrease stress.

AAA expects the worst travel times to be Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons before Thanksgiving, so if you can leave at a different time, plan accordingly.

“We really just stress for everyone to take it easy, plan ahead, and be safe when you’re hitting the road for the holiday weekend. No one wants to see their or someone else’s holiday weekend ruined by a crash, or an injury, or worse yet a fatality,” Jarmusz said.

If you are one of the 132,999 Wisconsinites taking to the skies for Thanksgiving travels, you can also get a head start on your planning. AAA recommends getting your tickets now if you don’t have them yet and trying to book earlier in the day on a direct flight. They also urge people to consider traveling on Thanksgiving Day as price and availability are likely the lowest.

For extra precautions, AAA recommends having extra medication and clothes on hand in case of unforeseen circumstances during the busy travel period.

As for your home, the Wausau Police Department recommends keeping the doors and windows locked, some inside and outside lights on, and asking a trusted individual, like your neighbor, to keep an eye on your property.

“Let them know that you’re going to be gone for an extended period of time if they can keep an eye on the residence for you,” Wausau PD Patrolman Ben Price said.

Officer Price also recommends contacting the Wausau PD’s non-emergency number at (715) 261-7795 to ask the station to check on your home.

“We do have a program through the police department that does allow for vacation checks where you can report your address and just state you’re going to be out of town,” Ofc. Price said. “Give us the time frame and we’ll do random patrols by your home to make sure everything is safe and sound.”

If you are staying in the area or expecting relatives, the same applies to your car. Keep the doors locked and make sure all cars are parked legally according to the posted signs.

Ofc. Price says the speed limit is still the speed limit on holiday travel days, and driving by traffic is not the safest option.

AAA and Ofc. Price want to highlight the importance of driving sober. It is never an option to drive impaired, instead plan your sober ride home now by using local cab services or ride-share apps.

“It’s probably one of the highest drinking days we see, or New Year’s Eve,” Ofc. Price said. “Those two days are usually the highest we see for OWI arrests for people on the road.”

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