Whether hosting Thanksgiving at home or traveling somewhere else to celebrate the holiday, the South Dakota Department of Public Safety and its agencies remind the public that safety must be a priority.
For those staying at home, state Fire Marshal Paul Merriman says nationally, Thanksgiving is when the most home cooking fires happen every year. He says it’s important, at all times of the year, to have working smoke alarms on each level of the home and be careful when using candles, fireplaces and other heating sources located throughout the home.
The Thanksgiving holiday also is a busy one on the highways. Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Rick Miller says troopers will be on the roadways throughout the weekend. He says it’s easy to get distracted and forget to focus on driving, but we need to slow down, avoid distractions, wear a seatbelt and don’t drink and drive.
The 102-hour holiday reporting period for motor vehicle traffic crashes begins at 6pm CT today (Nov. 23, 2022) and ends at midnight, Sunday night. Last year in South Dakota during the Thanksgiving holiday reporting period, there were 195 vehicle crashes resulting in 27 injuries and two fatalities.
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