Extra Police Deployed On Maryland Roads For Thanksgiving 2018

MARYLAND — With almost 49 million Americans expected on the roads this Thanksgiving, police advise people not to drive distracted, impaired or aggressively. Maryland State Police said the agency will be putting extra troopers on the road starting Wednesday night, particularly in areas where there have been more frequent crashes or impaired driving arrests.

Troopers from all 23 barracks statewide will be on the lookout for impaired driving, speeding, aggressive driving, distracted driving and other violations, officials said.

“As we continue to focus on the reduction of alcohol-related crashes statewide, troopers are acting by targeting impaired drivers,” Maryland State Police Colonel Pallozzi said this week during Maryland Remembers, an event memorializing the victims killed by impaired drivers.

More than 800 people died and over 16,400 were injured in Maryland crashes that involved drugs and/or alcohol from 2013 to 2017, officials reported.

"The Maryland State Police is committed to doing everything within our power to prevent these poor decisions that affect all of us," Pallozzi said.

During the 2017 Thanksgiving weekend, Maryland State Police reports there were three deadly crashes.

Here are some stats from last Thanksgiving weekend (Wednesday, Nov. 22, to Sunday, Nov. 26), according to Maryland State Police:

• 1,815 speeding citations
• 399 crashes
• 113 distracted driving citations
• 109 DUI arrests
• 34 criminal arrests
• 20 drug arrests
• 3 fatal crashes

The Maryland Transportation Authority, which patrols toll roads, tunnels and bridges, will be out in addition to state police this holiday targeting impaired drivers, those not wearing their seat belts, people engaged in criminal activity and drivers who are aggressive or distracted.

Authorities remind motorists that texting and driving is illegal in the state of Maryland, as is using a handheld cell phone.

Drinkers are encouraged designate a sober driver or get the Safer Ride app, which is sponsored by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and pulls up taxi services in the area.

Approximately one in three traffic deaths in the U.S. involves a drunk driver, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Being arrested for driving while impaired can lead to jail time, classes, license suspension and expenses exceeding $10,000, police said.

RELATED: Sobriety Checkpoint In Harford County Set For Thanksgiving Eve

Photo tributes of victims at the 15th annual Maryland Remembers Memorial, which honors those killed on Maryland roads by drunk or drugged drivers. Photo courtesy of Gov. Larry Hogan.