Thanksgiving holiday crashes claim 18 motorists in Georgia and Alabama

At least 18 people died on the busy highways in Georgia and Alabama during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, officials said.

No deaths were reported in Columbus but the Georgia Department of Public Safety said 12 people died on roadways during the 102-hour period that started at 6 p.m. Nov. 22 and ended at 11:59 p.m. Monday. Authorities with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said six people died across the state.

In addition to the traffic deaths, the Georgia State Patrol investigated 627 crashes that resulted in 294 injuries. Troopers issued 11,289 citations, 15,619 warnings and arrested 299 people for driving under the influence.

Three traffic deaths were reported in Dalton, Paulding and Calhoun counties in Georgia while Gainesville and Toccoa each reported a traffic death. There also were three fatal deaths in Athens, one in Gwinnett County and three reported in Dublin, state troopers said.

The six deaths reported in Alabama are 10 fewer than the total during the same holiday period in 2016. Authorities said the deaths occurred in Bibb, Sumter, Butler and Autauga counties. While most of the crashes involved a single vehicle, troopers said one included a passenger vehicle and train crash resulting in two fatalities.

Only one of the deaths was a driver and five were passengers. When it comes to using seat belts, troopers said only one was buckled.

During the same period last year from Nov. 23-27, troopers investigated 16 traffic deaths.

Authorities attributed the drop in traffic fatalities on the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency promoting #ArriveAliveAlabama. The Thanksgiving holiday is over but troopers still encourage motorists to continue to make safety a priority. Authorities said buckle up, avoid drinking and driving, avoid texting and other distractions while operating a vehicle and to obey all traffic laws.

This story was originally published November 28, 2017 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Thanksgiving holiday crashes claim 18 motorists in Georgia and Alabama."