Memorial Day weekend offers fun — and watchful troopers
Scared to hit the roads this extended holiday weekend?
You shouldn’t be.
The day after Memorial Day Monday is when drivers are more likely than any other day in the weekend to get into an accident, according to Waze, a traffic navigation app.
That said, the Georgia Department of Transportation is suspending interstate construction through 5 a.m. Tuesday and limiting lane closures on state routes serving major tourist and recreation centers.
“This is the first holiday of the summer travel season, and many people are hitting the road,” GDOT Director of Construction Marc Mastronardi said. “We want to make it a little easier for them to travel throughout the state.”
Still, check for delays.
Parade route may slow traffic some:
The Annual Atlanta Caribbean Carnival Parade will be Saturday, starting at noon.
The parade will begin at Central Park Place and Linden Avenue, Atlanta police said. It will travel north on Central Park Place and turn right onto North Avenue. The parade will travel eastbound on North Avenue to North Angier Avenue. Parade participants will disband on North Angier at Rankin Street.
Streets will reopen at 3 p.m.
When and when not to drive:
The Waze app pulled data from more than 500,000 users to determine peak traffic times for metro Atlanta drivers on Memorial Day weekend.
The app found the worst times to be Friday through 4 p.m. or Tuesday from 4 to 6 p.m.
Best travel days on Memorial Day weekend are Saturday and Sunday, according to Waze.
Friday sees the biggest increase in traffic incidents, while Saturday has the lowest levels of traffic for the weekend, the app says.
The highest number of traffic deaths on Georgia roads during a Memorial Day holiday weekend occurred in 2005, when 32 people were killed, according to previous reports by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The lowest number of deaths, five, was recorded in 2010.
View a live map of traffic incidents here.
In the event of a crash or breakdown, the Georgia Department of Transportation warns drivers to never get out of their cars on a freeway, unless a life is in imminent danger. If possible, pull off the road, turn on your hazard lights, and stay seat-belted in the vehicle with the doors locked.
For HERO assistance or traffic updates in metro Atlanta, call 511.
Troopers may increase ticketing:
Watch it behind the wheel.
From 6 p.m. Friday to midnight on Memorial Day, Georgia state troopers will be enforcing speed limits and seat belt usage, as well as looking for impaired drivers.
“Our goal is to intercept dangerous drivers before they can cause a fatal crash,” said Col. Mark McDonough, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety.
Last year during Memorial Day weekend, troopers reported 297 injuries, 10 traffic fatalities and 270 drunk driving arrests.
They issued 8,328 citations and 12,284 warnings.
Speed, a lack of occupant protection use, and impaired drivers were the top contributing factors in a majority of the traffic crashes, troopers said.
“Memorial Day weekend is always a heavily traveled holiday period as graduation ceremonies, festivals, and vacation travelers add to the normal weekend traffic,” McDonough said.
Be careful, and use a designated driver when needed.
“Drunk driving is dangerous and not worth the risk of killing yourself or someone else,” the commissioner said.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
Sunny and mostly dry this weekend
Atlanta’s keeping with the warming trend this weekend.
“Well generally speaking, we’re looking sunny and warm, with a few exceptions and a lot going on in our weather,” said Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz.
There is a 10 percent chance of rain Saturday through Sunday.
Highs will be 86 degrees Saturday, 87 degrees Sunday and 88 degrees Monday.
Scattered showers and storms will return by Tuesday.
Your reward for braving traffic:
There's plenty to do.
Catch an Atlanta Braves game any day this weekend. Some tickets are as low as $7.
Head over to Suwanee’s Town Center Park on Friday night to listen to bluegrass music in the annual Red, White, Bluegrass and Bach, starting at 7 p.m.
Or spend your day sampling more than 70 beers and wines at Zoo Atlanta’s Brew at the Zoo Saturday night. General admission tickets are $43 for non-zoo members and $38 for members. VIP tickets are $85, regardless of membership status. Gates open for general admission at 5:30 p.m., and VIP entrance begins at 4:30 p.m.
