❒ Holiday weekend is ‘one of the busiest travel periods of the year,’ common time for accidents

Plenty of motorists will be traveling during Thanksgiving holidays, and Jaime Coffee of the California Highway Patrol Media Relations Office said that means risks are higher for serious and deadly traffic collisions.

“The extended Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest travel periods of the year,” Coffee said.

He said the CHP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have been asking motorists to fasten their seatbelts and make sure passengers do the same.

In addition, he said, the two agencies are urging drivers to avoid distractions, drive within the speed limit and avoid driving while impaired.

“Something as simple as buckling up before your trip can save your life and avoid turning a noninjury collision into a tragedy,” CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said.

Thanksgiving is a Maximum Enforcement Period for the CHP, Coffee said. That period starts at 6 p.m. today and continues through the last minute of Thursday, he added.

The timing coincides with the NHTSA’s annual “Click It or Ticket” campaign, he said.

Last year, the number of Thanksgiving Day crashes decreased from previous years, Coffee said, but 33 people still lost their lives on California roads because of a collision during the Thanksgiving holiday.

For the friends and loved ones of those who died, it’s a tragedy, he acknowledged — but by the numbers, it’s an improvement.

“This was down from the 44 killed during Thanksgiving 2012,” Coffee said.

“Sadly, 88 percent of those killed in 2013 were not wearing a seat belt.”

Farrow has issued a request of those traveling during the holidays. “Protect yourself and those you love through the simple action of buckling a seat belt,” he said. “Seat belts are the single most effective piece of equipment in a vehicle that will prevent loss of life or injury.”

But there are other factors that can reduce the chances of a tragic accident, Coffee said. One is to avoid distractions such as cell phone use without hands-free devices and texting while driving.

Another he listed is to travel at a speed that is safe for roadway conditions — which may be lower than posted speed limits.

“Also, designate a nondrinking driver for the safety of everyone on the road,” he said. “Last year during the Thanksgiving holiday, the CHP arrested more than 1,200 people for driving under the influence.”

Coffee said unsafe or impaired drivers can be reported by calling 9-1-1.

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