Holiday season deadly on roadways in Georgia

DADE COUNTY, Ga. (WDEF) – On Morgan Road off Highway 11 sat a car with a crushed back end.

Tuesday afternoon, authorities said that the car was hit by a Norfolk Southern train.

“We talked with the driver, Georgia State Patrol did, and he said that he stopped at the stop sign, but he didn’t see the train,” Dade County Sheriff Ray Cross said.

The front of the train stretched about a mile down from where it happened.

“Trains cannot stop on a dime, and people need to understand that If you’re trying to beat a train it’s not worth the few minutes you have to sit and wait versus your life,” Sheriff Cross said.

According to Sheriff Cross, there were no serious injuries.

They’re lucky to be alive while other crashes lately have not turned out that way.

During the holiday season, traffic crashes typically increase.

This season, even though we’ve been in the coronavirus pandemic, it’s been deadly.

Over the Christmas holiday period, the 24th through the 27th, 20 people were killed in crashes across the state.

Over Thanksgiving, November 25th through November 29th, 24 people were killed.

And, there’s still New Years to go.

“The biggest thing about New Years is DUIs, driving under the influence. The best thing they can do is have a designated driver that does not drink, not just drinks a little, but does not drink. We also want everybody to buckle up and do the speed limit,” Georgia State Patrol Sgt. 1st Class Jason Buckner said.

The Georgia State Patrol is also asking people to put their cell phones down.

“That’s a big thing. People want to be in contact constantly with family, and since they can’t see them right now with COVID, you’re seeing a lot more people talking on the phone and using FaceTime,” Sgt. 1st Class Buckner said.

Sgt. 1st Class Buckner also added that they and other agencies do normally increase patrols during this time of the year.