Make It to the Table This Thanksgiving with Safe Driving

Buckle Up. Every Trip. Every Time, Orland Park Police advise

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is teaming up with the Orland Park Police Department to make sure you make it to the table this Thanksgiving.

Because the Thanksgiving holiday is one of the busiest for America, more drivers will be on the roads than usual, increasing the likelihood of a motor vehicle crash.

During this kickoff to the holiday season, it’s more important than ever to stress the importance of seat belt safety with this essential reminder: Buckle Up. Every Trip. Every Time.

During the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in 2019 (6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 27, to 5:59 a.m. on Monday, December 2), there were 279 passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes across the nation.

More than half (54%) were unrestrained. Nighttime proved even more deadly, with 52% of Thanksgiving weekend crashes occurring at night.

Celebrating the Thanksgiving and the Holidays. Photo courtesy of Krakenimages on Unsplash

These deaths represent needless tragedies for families across America and may have been prevented with the simple click of a seat belt.

“Thanksgiving is a time for celebrating gratitude with loved ones, and we want to make sure our community members arrive at their Thanksgiving destinations as safely as possible,” said Orland Park Police Chief Joe Mitchell.

“Whether you’re driving 10 minutes to the Thanksgiving dinner table, or 10 hours, it’s critical that drivers and passengers Buckle Up. Every Trip. Every Time. We want everyone to have a safe and happy Thanksgiving, so please, make sure everyone in your vehicle is buckled before you ever turn on the car — and that includes children being in the correct car seats, too,” said Mitchell.

For more information about traveling safely this Thanksgiving, please visit www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/seat-belts

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Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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