(Middletown CT – November 23, 2020) – Thanksgiving traffic will be a bit different
this year due to the pandemic, but rest assured your Connecticut State Troopers will be
patrolling the highways during the holiday weekend.
Typically, the days before and after Thanksgiving are the busiest travel days of the year.
However, COVID-19 has changed holiday plans for many of us as we seek to stay within our
own households this year. Still, Troopers will be on patrol on all state roads.
Across Connecticut, Troopers will focus on aggressive drivers, unsafe drivers and drunk
drivers – violations which can cause violent motor vehicle crashes. Connecticut residents are
asked to play a role in public safety by obeying traffic laws: don’t follow too closely to cars
around you, buckle up, drive the speed limit, stay off your cell phone while driving and ditch all
distractions. If you plan to consume alcohol, please do not drive; for everyone’s safety,
designate a driver or call a ride-share.
“Whether you’re traveling three miles, 30 miles or 60 miles, we ask that all drivers
prepare for their trip by allowing enough time to arrive at their destination safely,” noted
Colonel Stavros Mellekas, commanding officer of the State Police. “It’s best to check traffic
and weather reports prior to leaving home. Be patient and courteous on the roads, as others will
be traveling as well.”
A reminder that Connecticut’s “Move Over” law requires motorists approaching
stationary emergency vehicles to immediately slow to a speed below the posted speed limit and,
if traveling in the lane adjacent to an emergency vehicle, to move over one lane, unless it is
unreasonable or unsafe to do so. As defined by law, “emergency vehicle” is any vehicle with
activated flashing lights including ambulances, fire vehicles, law enforcement vehicles,
highway maintenance vehicles or licensed wreckers. Please pay attention to these vehicles and
those who work in them.
Patrol Troopers will use traditional and non-traditional patrol cars to observe traffic and
issue tickets to reckless and distracted drivers. A reminder to all drivers: anyone who is
consuming alcohol should never get behind the wheel.
If you see a suspected drunk driver or a suspected reckless driver, please call 911, as this
is a true emergency.
During the 2019 Thanksgiving weekend, State Police responded to the following:
Calls for service: 7,205
Speeding violations: 385
Seatbelt violations: 20
Other hazardous violations: 1,257
(to include unsafe lane change, following too closely, cell phone usage, texting, failure to
signal, etc.)
DUI arrests: 52
Accidents investigated: 593
with injury: 61
with fatalities: 2