Traffic Crashes Result In 24 Deaths Over Christmas Holiday Period In Georgia

(ATLANTA) - According to the Georgia Department of Public Safety, traffic crashes across Georgia over the 102-hour Christmas holiday travel period claimed the lives of 24 people. The holiday period began Christmas Eve at 6 p.m. and ended at midnight Sunday.

The final holiday period count was 3,325 traffic crashes, 868 injuries, and 24 traffic deaths. There were 24 fatal crashes. The estimates for the weekend had been for 2,945 crashes, 1,494 injuries, and 19 deaths.

For the second straight holiday travel period, drizzle over parts of the state kept roads wet and contributed to a higher than expected number of traffic crashes.

A list of agencies reporting fatal crashes during the holiday period is available at the Georgia Department of Public Safety website: http://dps.georgia.gov

The next holiday travel period is the 102-hour New Year’s period that begins at 6 p.m. New Year’s Eve and ends at midnight Sunday January 4, 2009.

The Georgia State Patrol holiday traffic counts are conducted each year for the Memorial Day, July Fourth, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s holiday travel periods.