Thanksgiving commuters urged not to drive like turkeys

It’s a big day for Thanksgiving travel.

AAA estimates 39 million Americans will be filling US freeways on Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day, Thursday.

Traffic on I-15 was noticeably more dense than an average rush-hour commute on Wednesday night.

This weekend, the Idaho State Police said they won’t tolerate any turkeys behind the wheel.

“It becomes extremely congested during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend,” said Sgt. Scott Zaugg.

AAA estimates 90-percent of Americans travelling 50 miles or more this Thanksgiving will make the journey by car. All those people on the roads makes attention-to-detail behind the wheel that-much-more important.

“We don’t allow for any vacation time or leave during the high travel days over the holiday,” said Zaugg.

All the agency’s troopers are on the job this weekend.

“One of our primary objectives is occupant safety,” he said. “So, seat-belts and child restraints are something we really look out for.”

Zaugg said the vast majority of freeway accidents during peak times are single vehicle crashes.

“That’s what’s frustrating because a lot of it’s due to some sort of distraction or inattention in the vehicle,” he said.

He said troopers will be on prevention patrol this weekend.

Experts said the increase in travel by car this year is probably a consequence of the still sluggish economy.