By Staff
We all want to have a happy Thanksgiving - and, for many people, that means traveling to be with family and friends, sharing traditions.
But one holiday tradition we don't need is more traffic problems on the road. We're glad to see that both the Brewton and East Brewton police departments are joining with the state for the second “Take Back Our Highways” program.
This Thanksgiving Alabama will join Mississippi and Tennessee to enforce a weeklong initiative devoted to safer highways. With the help of local law enforcement like Brewton and East Brewton, that means extra patrols on thousands of miles of highways and roads across three states - especially the highways many of us travel to meet with family and friends.
Take Back Our Highways begins Monday and lasts through Sunday. Extra officers will be on patrol throughout the week to keep an eye on drivers.
The Alabama Department of Public Safety conducted its first Take Back Our Highways campaign in August, and officials said rural traffic deaths in Alabama were down 69 percent over the same period the previous year. Those are statistics we'd love to see again this year, especially since some people may be celebrating a little too much before they get back on the road to go home after the holiday.
We hope that everyone will help police themselves and their family members this holiday. Buckle up, obey the speed limits and traffic laws and by all means avoid drinking and driving.
That way, we hope we'll all have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.