Heavy traffic expected for holiday trip home
By From staff reports
Published in News on September 1, 2014 1:46 PM
More than 34 million people were expected to hit the road this Labor Day weekend -- and the N.C. Highway Patrol has been watching.
Since 2012, the number of fatal collisions has decreased from 24 to 14.
"Speed is the No. 1 factor in fatal collisions," said Lt. Jeff Gorton of the State Highway Patrol.
And to keep those numbers headed in the right direction, the patrol was on the lookout for aggressive drivers, drunken drivers and other moving violations, he said.
Travel was expected to be up 1.6 percent from 2013. The bulk of holiday travelers passing through this region were those from among the 6.3 million from the south Atlantic states.
"We are committed to doing our part to reduce traffic collisions throughout our state, but we need the motoring public to do their part by obeying all traffic laws while traveling to their destination," Gordon said.