The City of Calhoun Police Department is joining the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety and state and local law enforcement agencies around Georgia November 23 – November 30, 2024, to remind everyone before the holiday travel season to “Click It, Don’t Risk It” by wearing a seat belt on every trip.

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel periods of the year with millions of vehicles traveling on Georgia highways and roads during the week and it is important for drivers and passengers to put safety first by always buckling up.  Seat belts are the most important safety equipment in any vehicle with all safety features designed to work best when passengers are properly restrained. 

Calhoun Police Department will be working during the holiday weekend to save lives by putting the brakes on dangerous and illegal driving behaviors such as speeding, reckless driving, distracted driving, and drunk and drugged driving as well as seat belt laws. Georgia law not only requires all children under eight years of age to ride in a child safety seat that meets the manufacturer’s guidelines for that child’s height and weight but all minor children between eight and 17 years of age are required by state law to wear a seat belt no matter where they are riding in a vehicle.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the number of people killed in crashes during the 102-hour Thanksgiving Holiday travel period in Georgia has increased by 17% percent from 2018 (17) to 2022 (20). Federal crash data showed 52 percent of people killed in passenger vehicle crashes in Georgia during this five-year period during the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend were not wearing seat belts.

NHTSA estimates that seat belts have saved more than 100,000 lives over the last decade and more lives could be saved if everyone was safely and properly restrained.  
“So many Georgians are looking forward to visiting family and friends over the Thanksgiving weekend and we want everyone to reach their destination safely,” Allen Poole, Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety said. “Seat belts are the most effective way to protect yourself and your loved ones on the road and it is important that we all buckle up before every trip.”

The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety and NHTSA offer the following tips for traveling during the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend:

  • Do not try to make up time by speeding
  • Make sure all passengers are properly restrained before starting your trip
  • Keep your eyes on the road and not your phone 
  • Program navigation devices before the trip begins
  • Take breaks on long trips
  • Never drive after drinking, pass the keys to a sober driver or call for a cab or ride-share service