EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) – The roads and skies are starting to get busier as Thanksgiving travel starts.

AAA is projecting record breaking numbers of people traveling by car.

Haley Kerby spoke with Indiana State Police Sgt. Todd Ringle about how you can get to your destination safely as you make your way out the door and hit the road.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the week of Thanksgiving continues to be one of the highest rated times of the year for instances of drunk driving, leading to crashes and deaths.

In Indiana, Sgt. Ringle says, “Last year, during the Thanksgiving holiday period, just in Indiana, we had over 2,300 crashes and unfortunately 10 people were killed.”

To help combat those statistics this year, Sgt. Ringle says the best thing to do is stay alert.

“Most of the times the problems that we see are drivers who are impaired, because we know a lot of people will drink alcohol over the holiday period,” said Sgt. Ringle, “then we have those drivers that are driving while they’re fatigued. Fatigued driving is dangerous driving.”

He says it’s critical to not drive drunk and if you know you have a long distance to go, take periodic breaks.

“We know a lot of people will be traveling a long distance over the next several days and we want those individuals to be well rested,” said Sgt. Ringle, “if you notice yourself yawning, nodding off, you can’t keep your eyes open, those are excellent signs that you’re becoming fatigued. You need to stop, better yet let someone else drive.”

Sgt. Ringle also described the importance of keeping your phone down and keeping your eyes on the road.

In the State of Indiana it is illegal to use your phone in any way at all while driving, including blue tooth.

Buckling up and following the speed limit is a guaranteed way to make sure you make it to dinner safely this year.

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