State troopers out in full force for busiest travel day of the year

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - The Thanksgiving holiday travel period begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday and lasts through Sunday at midnight.

South Carolina Highway Patrol says the day before Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the year.

A new law that ed this year allows troopers to cite drivers who are traveling in the left lane. Troopers are reminding travelers to follow the law and all the rules of the road.

“If you’re not actively overtaking, you shouldn’t be in the left lane,” said Captain Kelley Hughes.

Those not obeying the law could get a ticket for $25. Troopers say it’s a way to make sure traffic flows smoothly.

A Thanksgiving traveler, Arrie White, is driving eight hours from Atlanta to South Carolina and back on Thanksgiving eve.

She said traffic has been smooth, she’s seen a lot of state troopers, and she’s happy about the new left lane law.

“We were able to pick her up and are going to have a big Thanksgiving,” White said. “We call them the line leaders who mess up the flow of traffic.”

The state patrol is out in full force looking for people violating that new traffic law and all of the other rules of the road.

“This is a big enforcement weekend for us,” said Hughes. “We key in on things that cause crashes like driving impaired, not wearing a seatbelt, texting, and the left lane law.”

Last year the state patrol says there were 14 fatalities on state roadways on the Thanksgiving travel holiday.

They’re hoping this year there will be fewer fatalities, and Arrie White is hoping those numbers go down, too.

“Happy to have a safe trip, and hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving,” said White.

If you’re traveling Thursday, the best time is before noon or after 3 p.m. as Triple-A says that’s when the least amount of cars are on the road.

If you see anyone driving impaired, troopers remind you to call 911 immediately.

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