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950K Arizonans will hit the road for the holidays. Here are 2 simple things you can do to avoid a crash

AAA Arizona believes this will be the third busiest Thanksgiving travel week since they started tracking.

ARIZONA, USA — We are in the middle of one of the busiest holiday travel seasons on record.

AAA expects more than 950,000 Arizonans to hit the roadways for Thanksgiving-related travel.

“It’s going to be busy out there, no question about that,” Julian Paredes, a spokesperson with AAA, said. “It’s a stressful time. There is going to be nearly a million Arizonans on the road this holiday season.”

With busy roads, more accidents are expected to follow.

According to 2021 crash data from the Arizona Department of Transportation, accidents, deaths, and drunk driving crashes were all up in the seven days before the holiday.

“It comes down to impaired driving, distracted driving, even road rage,” Paredes said.

According to the data, the Friday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving fell in the top 15 worst days for accidents in 2021.

So how can you protect yourself?

Paredes says it starts with planning and patience.

“The common sense thing is to make a plan, give yourself plenty of time, and it doesn’t have to be as stressful as it could be,” Paredes said. “And know that everyone wants to get home like you.”

“A little bit of work now can save a lot of stress, a big headache, and even a crash.”

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