Airport patience, safe driving urged during Thanksgiving travel in South Florida

South Florida – Officers are urging everyone to stay safe to avoid potential tragedy, while travelers hit the road and take to the skies both in and out of South Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers are reminding drivers of the following tips:

• Check your tires before leaving

• Watch the speed limit as FHP and other agencies will be doing checkpoints

• Update current emergency contact information in case of an accident

According to FHP, they pulled over a large number of drivers last year for driving under the influence despite the COVID pandemic and would like to see that number go down.

“In November and December last year, which was supposed to be a slow year, in those two months alone we issued 5,400 DUI citations,” said FHP Trooper Yanko Reyes. “We also investigated over 1,000 crashes in relation to drugs, alcohol, or a combination of both.”

FHP is reminding drivers that a DUI charge could come with a suspension of the license or jail time.

“God forbid if you get involved in a crash with serious injuries or you kill somebody, you’re looking at prison time,” Reyes said.

According to Reyes, drivers should watch out for road rage and not engage in conflicts with other drivers.

“If you see somebody like that, you know let it go and don’t engage,” he added.

In the air, Miami International Airport said they are at pre-pandemic numbers with 132,000 passengers traveling through the airport Tuesday – up 12 percent from 2019. Last Friday and Saturday, another 150,000 travelers went through with slightly more on Sunday.

According to TSA experts, Sunday could see even higher numbers with travelers returning home.