PEORIA, Ill. — Holiday travel throughout the United States may look different this year due to COVID-19, but the Illinois State Police and Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will be following their normal procedures.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) have recommended people stay home this holiday season and celebrate holidays different ways, so some may be expecting fewer cars on the roadways.
Even if fewer cars are on the roadways, Illinois State Police Assistant Deputy Chief Mindy Carroll says enforcement will remain the same as usual.
“There will be people out there traveling more [during the holidays],” said Carroll. “We will be focusing on those ‘Fatal Four’ violations — it’s those violations where somebody is most likely to be in a car crash.”
The “Fatal Four” Carroll referred to is driving impaired, driving without a seatbelt, driving distracted and speeding.
“We will still be out there actively enforcing and highly visible,” said Carroll.
IDOT Public Information Officer Paul Wappel shared a similar sentiment, saying they want drivers to remain safe if they travel.
“We just want to remind [people] to drive safely and be patient if they are traveling,” said Wappel. “One of the biggest things is slow down — slower speeds, slower acceleration, slower steering, slower braking.”
Wappel also reminds drivers as it relates to cellphones to “drop it and drive” to avoid accidents on the roads.
In addition, rest areas along interstates will remain open.
“They’re cleaned and disinfected frequently,” said Wappel. “That’s been the case since COVID-19 started.”
Since we are in a pandemic, he reminds families to take masks along.
“If you’re traveling, obviously take masks for everyone in the car for whenever you stop or go wherever you’re going,” he said.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) in mid-October predicted 50 million Americans would travel over Thanksgiving, down from 55 million in 2019.
However, AAA says those numbers could be even lower with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issuing guidance urging residents to not travel this year.
Full interview with Carroll:
Full interview with Wappel:
