With tens of millions hitting the street and others lining up for vacation purchasing, the Thanksgiving weekend may be hectic throughout the nation.
An Oklahoma County Sheriff talked to News 9 about maintaining intoxicated drivers off the roads and different methods to remain protected.
Sheriff Tommie Johnson III mentioned there will probably be additional patrols on the lookout for erratic driving patterns through the vacation weekend
“We have people out in areas, high visibility. They’ll be performing a lot of traffic stops just to ensure our motoring public are safe,” Johnson mentioned.
According to the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, over the course of Thanksgiving weekend in 2020, from Nov. 25 by means of Nov. 29, there were 486 crashes involving 1,179 people. Of these crashes, 34 had been associated to alcohol or medicine, killing two individuals.
“Thanksgiving is a holiday where we tend to see a spike in intoxicated driving,” Johnson mentioned. “And it’s just because you got family around each other, friends, loved ones. They gather. Many travel from all over the nation to one place to see each other. So they really celebrate each other, and love each other, and love each other hard. And this is just part of it. But we say, there are tons of options out there and drunk driving is not one of them. And we stand firm on that statement here at the Sheriff’s Office.”
Johnson urged individuals who have been ingesting to discover different choices, like ride-shares and taxis. But alcohol is just not the one concern.
“People think that having the medical marijuana card grants them the exemption to operate a motor vehicle, and that is not the case either,” Johnson mentioned. “You cannot operate a motor vehicle in the state of Oklahoma intoxicated.”
Safety considerations lengthen past the roadways throughout this time of yr. Johnson suggested individuals to be vigilant on Black Friday.
“Thefts go up through the roof because we have people that tend to leave gifts, high-priced items, purses, electronics in their vehicles,” Johnson mentioned.
In addition to taking bought gadgets out of automobiles, Johnson advisable that individuals journey in teams and store through the day on Black Friday.
Furthermore, scammers have a tendency to focus on individuals through the vacation season. Johnson mentioned anybody who’s suspicious of a suggestion or menace to name the Sheriff’s Office at 405-713-1000.
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